


million dollar man.

by fkeyouout



Series: million dollar man. [1]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Asshole!Tyler, Flirting, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Rich!Tyler, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Top!Tyler, Tyler is 29, Unsolicited touching, bottom!josh, briefly, josh is 23, kind of, slight harassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2018-11-10 09:30:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 56,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11124426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fkeyouout/pseuds/fkeyouout
Summary: josh just needs a good story to keep his less than thriving journalist job, and tyler probably has enough dirty laundry to break the news.





	1. one.

joshua dun wouldn't claim to be an expert on many things. sure, he could play the drums to a level that was at least an improvement over the 17 year old amateur he'd once been and maybe he was a little over-skilled at aimless video games for someone of his age, but he still wouldn't consider himself an expert.

one thing he was sure of though, and would claim in a heartbeat, was that he was most definitely an expert when it came to bad luck.

that simple fact was undeniable, and it was completely believable that the universe was just out to get you, when you were the kind of person who was suffering all too frequent setbacks on an almost daily basis, and that is exactly the kind of person josh was - whether it was locking his keys inside the apartment, losing something of importance, running late to work or even stumbling his way through an awkward and horribly embarrassing encounter with the attractive blonde guy from only a few doors down in the complex, it seemed as though he just couldn't live a full day of his life without facing some sort of atrocity that left him wondering if he'd perhaps done something unspeakable in a past life to deserve his misfortune.

he didn't have much more luck with his job either, though that one was a personal choice and not the supernatural forces of possible karma working against him.

really, he should've listened when both of his parents advised against becoming a journalist, but the heart wanted what the heart wanted, and josh had been determined that he'd make it big.

that was two years ago, when he was only 21 and undeniably naive and eager to take on the world of media.

and he'd learnt far too soon how wrong he had been.

the suspicion, or more of a certainty, that his somewhat artistic profession was nowhere near all it was originally cracked up to be only being confirmed the second he walked into work that morning - the blue-haired boy had already faced what he assumed was the extent of his bad luck for the day by missing his morning alarm only to wake up late by a whole thirty minutes, and then spilling his steaming hot take-out coffee whilst in the rush out of his car in a move that'd left caffeinated stains across his white t-shirt and minor burns on the skin beneath. 

apparently though, bad luck never had it's limits.

"morning, joshie," a voice far too chirpy for an early monday morning called out, with the all too familiar face popping up from behind the receptionists desk and shooting a beaming grin in his direction.

"hey, pat," josh sighed, with a feigned smile in return as he shook away the burn still lingering across the skin of his knuckles and swiped the excess liquid away on the side of his pants; as awful as his morning had already been, and as much as he just wanted to give the world a middle finger today in particular, it was almost impossible to be ignorant or even slightly unpleasant when it came to the other man with his all too innocent face and encouraging smile.

eyes tracing over josh's appearance briefly before returning his focus on the computer screen as if he hadn't been inspecting him at all, patrick asked knowingly "bad morning?"

"like you wouldn't believe."

if the sympathetic look that glazed over the older man's eyes was anything to go by, it was about to get even worse.

"what?" josh asked, holding back yet another sigh and pushing back faded curls with the one hand that thankfully wasn't sticky from spilt coffee. "just rip the bandaid off and tell me what's up."

with an apprehensive bite of his lip and a few taps of the keyboard, patrick smiled awkwardly "pete wants to see you, in his office."

_great._

it was definitely about to get worse, because trips to pete's office typically meant either one of two things; the first being that you'd completely and utterly fucked up somehow and were about to get some choice words from the grouchy, older man, which was surprisingly the _better_ option of the two, or the second being that you were seconds away from being told to pack up your desk and get your ass out of the building completely.

sometimes, josh questioned how he and patrick were even a couple with their completely clashing personalities; pat being quite possibly the happiest and sweetest person in the entire world, while pete was far from either of those things. 

that whole 'opposites attract' thing must've been right all along.

"did he say why?" 

"nope.. sorry, joshie," patrick replied with an empathic shrug and a look of consolation across the desk. "just said it's important, and to not keep him waiting."

"right, okay," he nodded, backing up speedily from the desk and in the direction of the elevator with a faint wave to the brunette and an internal curse at the thought of what was awaiting him only three floors up. "i'll guess i'll see you later."

if he didn't get fired, that was.

and though josh thought he'd been dreading meeting up with his stern-faced boss on the short trip up to his isolated office, the stomach churning apprehension only really kicked when he stumbled into the older man's office, being met with an annoyed and somewhat exasperated stare from dark eyes and a clock telling him he was exactly 11 minutes late.

_"you're late."_

nerves, from both that intimidating stare and the uncertainty of their upcoming conversation, only wavering slightly in his voice, josh rambled tiredly "i know, and i'm seriously sorry pete, it's just-" 

"just sit down, josh. i don't have time for small talk and excuses this morning," pete rasped with a roll of his eyes, leaning back against the surface of his desk for support and crossing his arms across his chest in what josh assumed was supposed to be a way of asserting his authority - one that was definitely working, because the blue-haired boy had never felt so apprehensive in his whole life. " _look,_ we need to talk about your writing, and the level of what you've been providing for us lately."

_shit._

josh was definitely about to get fired.

"it's not that you're a bad writer, josh, because you're not," he continued with a sigh, the sentiment sounding suspiciously similar to one of those break-up speeches where you get the whole _'it's not you, it's me'_ bullshit, and it almost made josh want to laugh bitterly at the situation. "if anything, you're one of our best writers when you put your mind to it _but.._ it's just not enough. quality wise? you're fine. content wise though? that's the problem, kid. the small news stories just aren't cutting it anymore."

"give me a month," josh pleaded almost instantaneously, ignoring the slight stutter of anxiety threatening to overtake his speech. this job may not have been the greatest thing in the world, but the younger of the two knew that without it? he'd be even more screwed than he already was, though sometimes it seemed unthinkable. "i promise if you just give me a little more time, i can prove myself and get some better stories."

"i'm not firing you, josh."

"..what? y-you're not?"

"no," pete confirmed, much to the blue-haired boy's overwhelming relief. reaching one hand up to rub at his forehead with another outward exhale of stress, he explained "i've got a proposition for you."

holding back the urge to nod frantically in agreement of whatever said proposition was, or maybe even drop to the ground and kiss his boss' damn feet for saving his ass completely, josh assured " _anything._ i'll do anything."

grabbing at a thin file resting on the desk just beside him, pete dropped it onto josh's lap and flipped open the manila cover to reveal a page full of scrawled, inky black writing and a candid picture attached by a paperclip, like some sort of damn murderer's case file, of a tall brunette, suited up, face covered by sunglasses and exiting the backseat of a car that josh assumed was probably worth more than every single penny of rent he'd ever paid in his entire life.

"that's tyler joseph," the older man began to explain, to presumably fill the silence that lingered as the younger gazed at the attached image for just a beat or two too long, trying to make out more of the stranger's details and transcribe the mess that was pete's rushed handwriting just beneath. "young entrepreneur, started his own independent record label at 21 and is now the owner and producer of this huge, multi-million label. has some of the best clients out there, and is one of the biggest guys in the behind the scenes music industry right now."

"so you want me to do.. _what,_ exactly?"

index finger jabbing against the picture of said _'tyler joseph'_ and almost knocking the file out of josh's hands completely, pete responds with a clear lack of patience lacing his tone. "there's not a chance in this damn world that he doesn't have any dirty laundry or some sort of unspoken scandal hiding beneath his millions of bucks, and any reporter or journalist who knows their stuff wants access to it. it'd break the whole music industry if something about him came out, _but.._ the dude is private as shit, josh. nobody has ever came close to getting anything, just 'cause of the way he operates."

and maybe the tiny bit of hope that josh had been holding onto fizzled out then too, because he already knew what pete was going to ask of him, and it sounded downright impossible.

"i need you to be the one to finally get something, _anything,_ disreputable about him."

"pete, how the hell am i-"

being cut off once more by the signal of an impatient hand in his face, essentially telling him to shut it and listen, josh sighed and slumped back into the armchair; a hand running through faded blue hair out of stress and a look of indifference painting itself across his features as he waited for the brunette to continue. 

"the easiest way into anyones private life is from the inside, right?"

josh nodded in agreement, despite the fact that he was far from 'inside' this multi-millionaires life.

"joseph is hiring," the older man stated plainly, a knowing stare lingering in josh's direction. "well, not so much hiring as looking for an intern. needs a personal assistant, and if you agree to my proposition, i have ways of getting you an interview with him. _tomorrow._ first, you gotta get the job, and then it's simple sailing from there on out. you work for him, spend as much time as possible with him, form a friendship for all i care.. but you have to get that gossip too, yeah? no fixed time limit on getting the news we need as of yet, so long as you get it back here."

cocking an eyebrow towards the older man, and silently questioning his morals, the blue-haired boy asked, "so.. you just want me to screw him over completely? that's the proposition?"

"if you can get joseph's scandals back to this office and published under our company name, then anything you want, you got it, josh. a raise? a promotion? job security? _anything._ you name it, i'll give it to you."

sure, agreeing meant his morals were equally as fucked as his crazed boss, but all josh could see were the positives.

the big break that he'd been dying for.

and hey, the rich assholes usually deserved it.

_"deal."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look who's back with another new cliche fic when they still have fics to finish and prompts to write.


	2. two.

if josh thought he'd experienced the full extent of unmistakable dread and overwhelming anxiety before in his life, like any time he'd been forced to face his hard-faced boss after showing up to work late and with oversleeping evident in the way his unruly curls looked like he'd literally just rolled out of bed and walked into work, or that one time his mother had technically forced him into competing in that embarrassing school talent show in front of a crowd of hundreds, then he was wrong.

because nothing even came close to the level of intimidation that came with standing right outside of tyler joseph's office.

and if josh was being honest, he'd been intimidated from the moment he stepped foot into the foyer of the overly expensive building that looked like a replica of the kind you'd see in movies, where nearly everything was made out spotless glass that you weren't supposed to touch and every floor was filled with workers rushing around like ants despite their seemingly calm expressions and it felt like something would break the second you stopped holding your breath.

he didn't belong here, but it was too late to back out now.

_fuck._

perhaps it was a blessing that so far, for what seemed like the first day in longer that he could remember, josh hadn't yet faced one of those incidents that convinced him of his everlasting and somewhat targeted misfortune; he'd woken up in time, actually made it out of the apartment without leaving behind his keys, avoided any hot beverage that could end up wrecking his white button-down and had even managed to get through a brisk morning greeting with the cute guy from down the hall without stumbling over his words and becoming a blushing mess for once.

but really, his good luck prior to this very moment surely only meant that something was more likely to go wrong now.

and then he'd be seriously screwed. 

by the way his fingers were beginning to feel a little numb and his head was beginning to spin slightly out of anxiety and his stomach was churning with nerves, so prominently that it almost felt as though someone was rearranging his damn organs and squeezing them in all the wrong places, josh wouldn't be surprised if that inevitable bad luck came in the form of him spewing his breakfast of thai takeout leftovers all over this dude's desk.

forcing back a gulp, as if it would somehow make him swallow the ever-rising panic, josh landed a quick and shaky knock on the door; one hand brushing against the pocket of his tight-fitting pants to wipe away the dampness of sweat in preparation of an expected handshake and the other dragging through his hair in a meek attempt to tame one particularly unruly curl in the brief seconds of silence that followed.

in reality it may have only been a beat or so, but it felt as though the dauntingly quiet lull lasted far too long.

_"come in."_

stepping into the office hesitantly and shutting the door quietly behind him, josh resisted the urge to gape at what was on the other side of the walls, though it really shouldn't have been a surprise - if even the foyer to the building was showy, then of course the boss' office was going to be a million times better; simplistically elegant, it was just about every minimalist's dream, with ceiling to floor windows along the whole back wall that left the blue-haired boy feeling a little faint at the view from such a height, framed platinum record plaques hung neatly across the left wall and a damn marble desk pushed towards the farther end of the room, littered neatly with only a thin stack of papers resting beneath a pair of discarded glasses, a white desk lamp, a small potted plant and the overly-expensive computer that currently held the brunette's attention.

of course though, the person sitting behind the desk was far more intriguing than the office itself.

"mr. joseph," josh breathed out uncertainly in what was intended to be a greeting, "it's-"

eyes not even once leaving the illuminated screen that they flickered across, he raised one hand from the keyboard and held it in the air with annoyance, a signal josh was all too used to receiving from pete that essentially told him to zip it, before pointing to the chair settled in front of his desk and returning to his typing without another word.

intriguing, yet definitely more intimidating up close.

 _and_ considerably more attractive that the slightly blurred candid had let on, josh decided as he looked over the older man as a distraction from the uncomfortable, at least on his part, silence between them.

maybe not josh's usual type of blonde, tanned, buff and covered in tattoos like the cute guy from down the hall, but still undeniably handsome; fluffy looking curls of dark brown hair, longer on top yet shorter at the sides, equally dark almond-shaped eyes hooded by long eyelashes that he assumed would've been pretty cute and deer-like if it wasn't for the blasé stare that filled them, plump lips that were bitten slightly in concentration and a faint five o'clock shadow that admittedly made the younger boy a little weak in the knees.

his ogling, however, was interrupted when that same, slightly raspy and bored voice, overflowing with authority, cut through the air like a knife.

"hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to stare?"

flushing wildly and feeling his cheeks burn at being called out so easily despite the fact that the brunette's own stare hadn't even shifted a single millimetre from where it was focused on the e-mail he was finishing off, josh attempted to ignore the way his breath caught in his throat and stuttered, "i, uh.. i'm sorry, i just-"

"why are you in my office?" tyler interrupted cooly, spinning in his chair to rest against the desk and making direct eye-contact with the other boy for the first time since this whole awkward encounter had begun. 

"i mean, you.. uh.. told me to come in," josh supplied jokingly in response, a hint of a smile twitching at the corners of his lips and playing with his fingers distractedly.

clearly though, humour wasn't the way to go with this one, because the older man's expression remained blank; the only sense of emotion being the slight twinge of annoyance obvious in his tired eyes.

"i'm busy and you're wasting my time."

"i'm sorry.. _sorry,_ " the blue-haired boy apologised hastily, grip on his fingers tightening further with anxiety and his heart thumping painfully loud in his chest. "i'm josh, josh dun? i'm here for the interview.. for the internship. your receptionist, the blonde girl, said to just come straight up because you'd be expecting me so i just thought-"

" _you're_ one of the ones who wants the internship?" tyler asked, bemusement lacing his tone yet no showing any visible evidence of anything other than boredom on his apathetic face as his gaze slowly ran over josh, clearly not sticking to his own rule that it was considered rude to stare.

"..yeah?"

"you don't sound sure."

mind going completely blank under the pressure, josh found himself unable to even formulate a coherent response to the older man's simple statement, instead only gaping at him across the desk with a stunned blink. "i.. _uh.."_

"you just don't look like the kind of kid who wants to work as a personal assistant," he hummed in explanation, head tilting faintly in further examination. "you don't look like the rest of them. blue hair, nose ring, full tattoo sleeve is definitely not the typical admin look.. you look like you should be on the other side of the music industry. _performing,_ not working behind the scenes. so tell me, _josh,_ why on earth do you want this boring office job?"

_shit._

he really should've known that his motives would be questioned at some point, given both the fact that it was a job interview, as well as the brunette's rumoured high-level of privacy clearly not allowing just any kid off of the street to walk in and work up close and personally with him.

good thing josh was a decent liar when he wanted to be, he supposed.

"i..i mean, you're right. i don't really _want_ the office job itself," josh confessed, untangling one of his hands from the other to reach up and scratch his neck awkwardly, fingers brushing through the faded hair at the base in a move intended to provide some level of comfort in such an anxious situation, "but i am into music. and i figured since it's such a tricky profession to get into, why not go for the closest thing i can get, right? you're crazy influential in the music industry, mr. joseph, so working for you must have some benefits.. music wise."

that wasn't necessarily a lie though - he really did have a passion for music, his drums in particular, so he figured he may as well reap the benefits of involvement in the industry so long as he was stuck here, waiting for a story to write itself.

just in case he ever did decide to leave one tiring job and life dream for yet another unachievable one.

tyler clicked his tongue and leant back in his desk chair, arms crossed over his chest in a way that made the material of his rolled up sleeves tighten around his toned arms, and with his domineering gaze still pinned to the younger boy like a firing arrow on a target as he cocked a questioning eyebrow. "so, you're just using me? is that it?"

if only he knew.

"no, _no,_ i promise," he assured dishonestly, frantic tone only seeming to further cement his faux-status as a jobless kid who was just desperate to immerse himself in the world of music one way or another, as opposed to the reality of the situation - a close to jobless journalist who was just desperate to snoop through the multi-millionaires dirty laundry and bag that promotion. "i need _and_ want this internship, and i'm willing to do just about anything for you. i swear, i'll be the best assistant you could ask for, _and-"_

"shut up," the brunette shushed him, accompanied by an exasperated roll of his eyes at the incessant rambling as he readjusted the already perfect knot of his slim, black tie. "go and speak to the receptionist, jenna. there's a few forms you need to fill out, legal stuff, and she'll give you a keycard to the building."

 _"wait.."_ josh smiled, despite the unimpressed expression still being displayed in front of him. "i got it? you're giving me the internship?"

twisting back towards his computer in ignorance of the younger boy's joy, tyler huffed inattentively, "get out of my office, and _do not_ be late tomorrow. 9AM sharp."

so maybe this guy _was_ the complete and utter asshole josh had predicted him to be, but that didn't matter.

really, it only made his job easier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love to anyone who comments/kudos'/reads ♥️


	3. three.

* * *

when josh turned up to his first day at his newfound internship, early by a good couple of minutes for what was possibly the first time in his entire adult life, he'd been expecting to be greeted the same way he was back at his journalist job; with a cheery smile from the exceedingly chirpy receptionist, a tired yet still cool and apathetic scowl from the asshole boss and an instant demand for a coffee run to start off the day.

what he hadn't been expecting, however, was to almost be knocked on his ass completely by the door to tyler's office swinging open in his face in a frenzy; both the sudden scare of the near-miss and the unexpected appearance of said chirpy receptionist sending a pulse of shock through his system to the point in which his heavily thumping heart was probably the loudest thing in the whole building.

"oh, _josh,"_ she squeaked in surprise, sounding almost breathless as her gaze flickered back over to tyler with an uneasiness clear in her widened, blue eyes, "good morning! i was just.. dropping off those documents that you filled in yesterday, ready for when you got here. mr. joseph needed to sign them too so.."

alongside an awkward smile, the blue-haired boy nodded in acceptance of her mediocre cover-up despite not believing a single word that left the blonde's lips.

jenna, he remembered her name was.

even if her startled rambling wasn't enough to give away the clear dishonesty, then her noticeably disheveled appearance would've done the job anyway; cheeks flushed a deep rosy shade, short hair tousled as opposed to the perfectly smooth style it'd held the day prior, lips pouted and glossy and her tight-fitting skirt hitched up a little near her thigh.

"i'll uh.. see you at lunch," she smiled faintly, attempting to give off a friendly aura but radiating nothing but embarrassment as she cleared her throat and brushed down the sides of her skirt in a swift move around josh, "or sooner, if you need anything. you know where to find me."

with an affirmative hum, and another flash of his forced smile as he stepped into the office, josh returned " _right.._ lunch. see you then."

maybe agreeing to the fact that he had every intention of seeing the blonde later on in the day was a slight white lie, given the fact that taking his lunch hour alone was usually more josh's style, but he supposed that it didn't really matter - not only did he not hold the intention of staying around here for too long, or at least longer than he had to be, which meant that forming any level of friendship was redundant, but he also really didn't want to become buddy-buddy with the boss' fling.

especially not when his boss was such an asshole; an attractive one, admittedly, but still an asshole.

and not that it was surprising in the slightest, but that very fact was only confirmed once more when the first thing that left the brunette's lips, instead of a simple morning greeting, was a low growl.

"it's 8:57."

"yeah, thanks for the time update, mr. wolf," josh scoffed, easily entertained by the irked look on tyler's face and somehow a little less intimidated than their first meeting, which he assumed came from the fact that the older man looked far less terrifying this time around; his hair ruffled slightly, the top button of his shirt still undone, sleek black tie skewed and his lips as equally glossy as the other culprit in a way that forced josh's gaze to linger just a beat too long. "i do know how a clock works, shockingly."

with another irritated eye-roll, that the younger had a feeling he'd be seeing a lot of while he was here, tyler stated "i told you to get here at 9AM."

"i.. uh.." the blue-haired boy stuttered in bewilderment, one hand tangling in the curls at the nape of his neck. "you're _seriously_ mad at me for getting here early?"

more like seriously mad that he almost got caught in the unprofessional act of presumably banging one of his employees over his desk, but josh wasn't going to mention that.

tyler seemed to dislike him enough as it was, and he could not afford to lose this 'job' already.

"you're _seriously_ talking back to your boss?" the older man shot back without hesitation, quirking a perfectly groomed eyebrow in josh's direction with that same cool stare.

"dude.. _i-"_

" _do not_ call me 'dude'," tyler hissed in interruption, his fingers fumbling to re-do the popped open button of his shirt as he spun to face his computer instead, "sit down and be quiet."

josh had thought yesterday, when he had gotten home and shamelessly google-searched _the_ tyler joseph for more background information and maybe a minute or two of admiring his face, that maybe, just maybe, he'd been a little too quick with his assumptions that the guy was a complete jackass, but they were less than 5 minutes into the day and the brunette had seemingly already proved him wrong.

and it definitely made a little more sense as to exactly why the internship had been open for as long as it had been.

he'd seen pictures of the older man with countless personal assistants by his side, almost as though it was someone new every single time he entered the public eye, and honestly? josh couldn't even bring himself to blame them if they'd all quit on tyler, because he'd definitely be doing the same thing right now if his job and his life and practically his whole ass wasn't on the line.

intimidation seeming to return in full force at the blunt shut-down, the younger sunk down into the chair positioned directly in front of tyler's desk and tangled his fingers together in distraction before speaking up apprehensively. "look, mr. joseph, i'm sor-"

long fingers visibly tightening around the mouse the brunette's hand was currently resting on, yet once again not even bothering to shift his occupied gaze from the lit-up computer screen, tyler contemplated condescendingly "maybe your first job today should be to read through a dictionary, and learn the definitions of words such as 'quiet', joshua."

holding back on the exasperated eye-roll that josh could feel coming on, he sighed regardless of whether or not it would only serve to heighten the older man's apparent dislike towards him, "i just wanted to apologise.. i feel like maybe we got off on the wrong foot? and i mean, if we're gonna be working together.. it'd probably be a good idea for us to at least _try_ to get along."

"apology accepted," tyler huffed tiredly, fingers tapping away at his keyboard briefly but showing no sign of an apology coming from his own pretty, pouted lips as the near silence of the office lingered.

not that josh had expected an apology though - to expect an apology from a rich and successful asshole who most likely assumed that he never did anything wrong would've been unthinkable, but the younger of the two didn't really care so long as the brunette didn't hate him enough to fire him before he even got the chance to dig up some dirt. 

gaze finally flickering over to josh once more and running over him briefly in examination, tyler spun back around on his chair and pushed a plain black, leather bound diary in front of him, accompanied by a stupidly expensive looking fountain pen engraved with the older man's initials in a golden font.

"first things first," he sighed, one hand resting atop of the book and the other pushing still messy strands of his hair backwards; fingers catching odd curls occasionally and twisting them between his fingers in a move that captivated the blue-haired boy's attention more than he'd ever wish to admit, "your desk. for today, i'm going to have to put up with looking at you up close, but your own desk should be ready tomorrow. it'll be on the other side of the room." 

and like he said, tyler may be a jackass but josh still enjoyed looking at his perfectly sculpted face with those damn bedroom eyes and pretty lips and his toned arms that practically struggled against the tight material of his shirts, so the concept of moving further away from the view was slightly disappointing.

"your desk may be in this room, but it is still _my_ office. clear?"

"clear," josh confirmed with a mock salute, to which the brunette only rolled his eyes once more without verbal response. 

"next, coffee runs. you do coffee runs for me, and me only," the older man informed clearly, with another crook of his eyebrow as if to question whether or not josh understood. 

a simple and silent nod was the easiest response, he'd learnt.

seemingly pleased with the obedient signal, tyler ordered sharply, "a black coffee, no cream, no sugar, every morning on my desk. drinks for yourself are allowed, but you're here to work for me and not my employees so do not get friendly and start offering to pick up for everyone." 

"black coffee, no cream, no sugar.. got it," the blue-haired boy nodded once more, mentally taking note of the fact that he'd probably have to leave his apartment a little earlier to still make it on time with coffee, and therefore missing the prime time for conversation with the cute guy from down the hall that he was sure he'd been making progress with. 

fuck. 

his luck really was the worst. 

"and this," the brunette continued with a quiet click of his tongue, tapping the diary with his index finger, "you're going to be with me in most meetings, and i need you to record anything and everything important. it's highly confidential. do not lose it, and definitely do not let anyone outside of this office even _touch it_. yes?"

"you got it, mr. joseph." 

and maybe josh felt a slight twinge of guilt at the sudden weight on his shoulders, of truly knowing that he'd have full access to this 'confidential information', but really.. there was no obligation to keep a promise that you never _actually_ made. 

"my first meeting of the day is in 5 minutes, so we need to go to the boardroom," tyler hummed, more to himself that directly to the younger boy; standing from his chair, gathering a stack of scattered papers from his desk and sliding the previously discarded glasses into place.

 _damn_. 

he even looked pretty cute, and a little less intimidating, in the frames. 

in seconds, josh was fumbling to get out of his own chair too; diary and pen in one hand and the other brushing down the now crumpled material of his slacks as he hurried to keep up pace with the older man, trailing behind him like some sort of damn trained puppy. 

and maybe he snuck a glance or two at tyler's perky ass, impossibly prominent in his own tight-fitting trousers, as they silently made their way down the long hallway, but he was sure anybody else in his position would do the exact same thing. 

the quiet lull between the two of them was only broken the second the older man's hand reached towards the door handle, and josh squeaked out an unusually timid " _wait_ , uh.. mr. joseph?" 

"what?" he asked, boredom already lacing his somewhat raspy tone and his head tilting in the younger boy's direction questioningly. 

"your, uh.. your tie is still.." the blue-haired boy half-informed in a coy whisper, trailing off with a bite off his lip yet stepping forward anyway to close the small gap between the two of them and reaching his free hand up to loosely wrap around the obviously crooked knot of tyler's tie.

not even daring to look up directly at the brunette from where they were only breaths apart, josh cleared his throat as though it would simultaneously clear the awkwardness in the air and gently readjusted the tie back into its normal position; his fingers brushing briefly against tyler's chest as he pulled away and his cheeks beginning to burn with the knowledge that he was being watched so intently. 

"uh.. there. _fixed it_."

without another word, and only a barely noticeable glance at the blue-haired boy's bitten lips, tyler simply nodded and disappeared into the boardroom, leaving josh flushed in confusion and cursing his life decisions beneath his breath because _shit_. 

he may just be a little bit fucked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will anybody understand the what's the time mr wolf reference? or just me?  
> i wrote this at a dumb time in the morning and i'm really tired so feel free to shout at me and call me out on any mistakes.
> 
> as always, i love you guys that read/comment/kudos you're all amazing ♥️


	4. four.

in one sense, josh's new job was going perfectly. 

maybe he hadn't gotten the intense, news-breaking and jaw-dropping kind of story about tyler joseph yet that pete was expecting and patiently waiting on, the very one that would simultaneously save both his ass and his job from complete and utter despair, but he was at least getting _somewhere_ with the occasional insight into the brunette's personal life or the incidental murmur of gossip passed around the other interns on particularly boring days in the office. even the older man's apparent, ongoing affair with his chirpy receptionist, which josh seemed to notice more than ever within their shared gazes and the blonde's irritatingly high-pitched giggles every time jenna found a reason to drop by tyler's office, could even be considered the beginnings of a decent article.

but josh didn't like to think about that one too much.

in another sense, however, things had never been so stressful for the blue-haired boy. or perhaps _awkward_ was a more suitable way to describe his current situation.

ever since 'the incident', which josh was now referring to it as, in which he'd stupidly and only slightly flirtatiously sparked the tiniest flame of tension between him and his god damn attractive asshole of a boss with one simple brush of his fingers against the older man's chest, the two of them seemed increasingly distant. which was a shock, of course, given the fact that the younger boy had been wholly convinced that tyler hated him with a passion the very first time they'd met, and that things could have only improved for them from there on.

but unless improvement upon their working relationship included lingering silences that made a return just about every time they didn't have to communicate about something work-related and the recurring feeling of his boss' blasé gaze essentially burning holes into him whenever josh so much as directed his attention anywhere other than the brunette, they didn't seem to be doing so. 

all of which he'd exhaustedly expressed to patrick over an evening catch-up coffee at the tiny cafe only streets away from their office, with a steaming cappuccino in hand and a disgruntled scowl on his face.

"so.. things are going well there then?" the older man asked uncertainly, one eyebrow quirking in confusion at josh's wishy-washy review of his past month as he took a sip of his own overbearingly strong coffee; black, no cream and no sugar, just like tyler.

_damn,_ josh wished the brunette would stop worming his way into his thoughts.

" _no,_ pat.. did you listen to anything i just said?"

"uh, yeah.. and it sounds like everything is going to plan, joshie," patrick hummed knowingly, with a flash of one of those encouraging and overly optimistic smiles that were practically a signature feature of the brunette at this point. "i mean, you've only been there for a month and you've already caught onto at least one of his supposed secrets, right? so it shouldn't take too long to actually get somewhere with a decent story and get back to the office."

and really, patrick was right. he should've been relieved that not being fired didn't seem like such a far cry after all, given the fact that pete's proposition had once seemed inarguably impossible, but his simple huff of irritation in response said otherwise.

fingers tapping idly against the side of his half-emptied mug and his so obviously amused gaze tracing over josh's face at the wordless reaction he received, the brunette smirked knowingly in a way that left the younger wanting to be annoyed with him despite the impossibility given his all too innocent intentions. "you're just pissed off 'cause you're kind of interested in this guy, and you probably want to sleep with him, but he's obviously way more interested in the blonde chick."

josh thought that maybe, just maybe, his denial of that very assumption would've been much more believable had he not instantly felt his cheeks flush embarrassingly at even the mere suggestion of him being the one in jenna's position just once; the rosy glow on his cheeks being glaringly obvious even beneath the dimmed down lights of the coffee bar.

"i do not-"

patrick laughed in interruption, his signature and admittedly endearing chuckle ringing between the two of them and completely silencing the blue-haired boys defence. "not only does the look on your face right now totally confirm everything i just said, but he's pretty much all you've talked about since we got here. _'tyler said this, tyler did that, tyler looked really good in his tight suit the other day'._. josh, you've got a crush on this guy and we both know it."

shit.

it sounded even worse and scarily irrefutable when it was somebody else saying it out loud, rather than josh just contemplating the possibility in bed late at night.

"okay, maybe i want to sleep with him," josh confessed with a reluctant sigh, hiding his lips and muffling the words behind the rim of his own mug as though it would somehow lessen their reality, "but that does _not_ mean i have a crush on him. having a crush on someone would imply liking their personality too, and actually wanting to be with them, which i absolutely don't, 'cause he's an asshole. he's just _really_ fucking attractive.. he's a ridiculously good-looking asshole." 

"assholes are the best in bed," patrick grinned smugly with a click of his tongue, pushing his emptied mug away and beginning to pick at the blueberry muffin sat in front of him with a swift brush of his fingers. "i would know, after all."

"jesus christ," the younger of the two groaned with mock disgust, burying his face into his hands with a shake of his head and squeezing his eyes closed as if somehow it would help to wipe away the unwanted image of pete and pat's sex life from his mind, though really he was sure it was so scarring that it'd be burned into there forever. "i would literally rather hear you talk about _anything else_.. i don't want to start associating your naked boyfriend, and my boss, with tyler joseph."

with a self-satisfied shrug as a chunk of crumbling cake was shoved into his mouth, patrick suggested "hey, it might be good for you.. might help you to get rid of this puppy love before it starts turning into something more serious."

honestly, josh didn't even want to entertain the idea of it going any further than physical attraction, because as fucked as he was already? anything more would probably be a death sentence.

"i guess so," the blue-haired boy sighed, with more hesitance than he cared to admit, and brushed a hand back through faded curls; his fingers catching on one particularly long strand and twisting it around his finger anxiously in a move that he'd noticed himself picking up more frequently as of late, most likely thanks to watching tyler do the same thing so often whenever he was particularly stressed.

damn.

he really wished he'd just stuck to crushing on the cute blonde guy from down the hall.

"seriously though, joshie," pat continued with a bite of his lip, his voice softened ever so slightly with the loss of his teasing tone and laced more so with concern for his friend, "you should probably quit while you're ahead with this guy, because it's really not going to end well no matter what happens between the two of you, especially not if you get attached."

even without patrick's input, it was glaringly obvious that his possible infatuation with the older man wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever indulged in, but as with his choice of career and pretty much every other decision josh had made during his adult life, the heart wanted what the heart wanted, and _damn_ he was a pushover when it came to his heart's desires.

"i'm not going to get attached," the younger of the two assured with a defeated exhale, though it was more of an assurance to himself rather than his apprehensive friend, and shrugged off the suggestion once more as he reached across the table to snag a piece of the muffin. "it'd be kind of ridiculous to get attached to someone with a girlfriend anyway, right?"

"right, so you-"

the brunette's no doubt motivational, or possibly inspirational, response was cut off only by the low ring of josh's phone vibrating on the table between them; his gaze flickering to the lit-up screen automatically on instinct and feeling his heart practically clench up with a sensation he couldn't quite place his finger on as his eyes ran over the flashing caller id.

speak of the devil.

fumbling to pick up his phone out of panic with still sticky fingers from the remnants of stolen dessert, josh barely even had the chance to shoot patrick a look that expressed exactly that before the all too familiar voice, that the blue-haired boy admittedly spent far too much time recreating in his head, was echoing into his ear; low and raspy and laced with impatience.

" _joshua._ "

"mr. joseph?"

"are you busy?" tyler asked bluntly, not caring for formalities as usual and somehow managing to send a strike of intimidation through the younger boy even without the presence of his stern, stutter-inducing stare.

"i, _uh-_ "

" _good,_ because you're needed for overtime," he interrupted, with only the faint sounds of the older man fumbling around with something in the background filling the tense silence between the two of them. "i'll send you my address. be here within the next thirty minutes."

and rather than the ability to express a cohesive response, josh was met with nothing but dead air and the sound of the call being cut off sharply; leaving him gaping at patrick in brief confusion and forcefully ignoring the nervous twist deep in the pit of his stomach.

maybe josh cursed himself _a little_ for the first, undeniably crude thought he had regarding what 'overtime' at his boss' house could possibly consist of.

but hey, a boy can dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is slightly shorter than the others but.. plot reasons.  
> and the next one will be all joshler to make up for it.
> 
> thanks to anyone who reads/kudos/comments, ily all.  
> ♥️


	5. five.

sure, josh was fully aware that tyler joseph was rich, as in richer than rich, given that his multi-million label was all most people talked about upon hearing his name dropped in conversation or in quiet murmurs around the office, usually whenever jenna and her friends were sickeningly fawning over him. that fact alone was clear as day just from looking at the man himself, or even glancing at his office that seemed to be pulled straight from the set some big hollywood movie.

but it still, somehow, didn't prepare him for just how inadequate he'd feel when stood in front of the older man's house.

though really, it was more of a freaking mansion.

and when you lived in a second-rate and somewhat shoddy apartment downtown that you could just about afford with your barely there wage, that had a temperamental water supply, walls thin enough that your sex-obsessed neighbours could keep you awake all night and the highly disappointing view of a decaying wall just beyond the balcony window, you were bound to feel a million times worse.

perhaps the excessively long driveway winding through what was essentially a damn personal forest should've been josh's first hint that he was entering territory way beyond his league, but the realisation didn't hit him directly until he was stood on the front porch; one hand shakily reaching up towards the knocker of the black door and his heart practically in his mouth, leaving him feeling akin to a sweaty teenage boy picking up his date as her stern-faced dad watched on from the sidelines.

tyler joseph could beat any hard-ass military guy in an intimidation contest though, josh was sure of it.

" _are you just going to stand there and stare? it seems to be a talent of yours, joshua._ " 

that same voice, low and raspy and laced with impatience, ringing in the air with a slight crackle snapped the blue-haired boy out of his anxious reverie; his gaze flickering around in a panic to locate the sound unaccompanied by the face he truly wanted to see.

"dude, what the-"

" _security system, idiot,_ " tyler huffed, once more lacking the charm that the younger hadn't been expecting anyway. " _the door is already unlocked, just come in. down the hallway, first door on the right. now._ "

nervously stalling was definitely no longer an option if he wanted to get into the older man's good books.

stepping inside hesitantly and trying not to cringe at the accidental sound of the front door slamming behind him, the blue-haired boy didn't even give himself the chance to stand around and gawk at his unsurprisingly impressive surroundings and instead wandered in what he assumed was the right direction; the only sounds filling the silent house being the pattering of his feet against the tiles and the prominent pounding of his heart in his chest.

and maybe he was a little disappointed when he was met with the sight of a fully-clothed tyler joseph, dressed head-to-toe in a damn grey prada suit and raking a hand through the longest of his curls restlessly, but hey, at least his ass looked pretty damn great again in the tight pants.

not that it was helping at all with the whole 'not being attracted to your unattainable boss' thing.

damn.

"sick suit," josh complimented in a catch of the older man's attention, nodding in his direction when that blasé gaze flickered over to him like a spotlight and kicked his nerves back into full-force.

"it's italian," the brunette shot back with a faint eye-roll, clearly uninterested in the small talk as usual as he flattened down a non-existent crease on his jacket, "and i _thought_ i told you to stop calling me dude."

"right, yeah.. sorry, it's just habit, i guess.." the blue-haired boy fumbled, fingers instinctively twisting together in he way he found himself doing far too often around his new boss. "so.. you wanted me for overtime?"

josh would've preferred it if tyler joseph just flat out wanted him, but hey.

beggars can't be choosers.

leaning back against the surface of his desk for support and crossing his arms across his chest, in a way that really only worked to josh's advantage given the fact that the material of the older man's shirt instantly tightened around his chest, tyler sighed lowly "there's a party tonight.. or not so much a party, but more of a networking event.. that i'm obviously attending. michael, our publicity director, was _supposed_ to be accompanying me but got caught up in work last minute. so you're coming instead."

admittedly, josh felt his heart flutter nauseatingly at the thought alone of spending a whole night with the ridiculously attractive asshole in front of him, and the suspicion that his luck may finally have been changing for the better, but there was no way in hell he was going to inflate tyler's ego any further by openly showing him the effect he had on the younger boy.

swallowing back the combination of excitement and anxiety crawling up his throat with a forced gulp, josh asked meekly "uh, no offence or anything mr. joseph, because i'm _seriously_ grateful for the opportunity but.. wouldn't you rather take jenna with you? i mean.. your girlfriend would probably be better company and-"

"not only is jenna _not_ my girlfriend, but this is business," the older man corrected in interruption, quirking a perfectly groomed eyebrow in josh's direction and pushing himself up off of the desk; the few steps of distance between the two of them being closed in three short strides. " _not_ a date."

to say that the assurance that his boss' relationship with the blonde wasn't all that serious after all didn't fill the blue-haired boy with delight would've been a complete and utter fucking lie, but really it was hard to feel anything other than pure submission in the moment when tyler was standing only mere breaths away from him; that ever-intimidating gaze, only tinged slightly with a hint of amusement this time, locked directly on josh's own.

and if josh thought he'd felt unnervingly flustered before thanks to tyler joseph and his authoritative appeal, he was damn wrong, because _nothing_ compared to the feeling that swirled deep in the pit of his stomach at the brunette's next breathy words; faintly brushing against his lips and sending an instant shiver down his spine.

"so don't get your hopes up, kitten _._ "

cheeks instantaneously flushing a shade that could put the vase of red roses on the older man's desk to shame and breath catching in his throat at the teasing pet-name essentially purred into his ear, josh barely even had the chance to compose himself enough to respond with anything other than an embarrassed stutter before tyler was strolling past him nonchalantly; shoulder brushing the younger's own and the very first hint josh had ever seen of a smirk twitching at the corner of his lips.

god _damn._

"now, are you coming or not?" tyler called back, the satisfaction laced in his tone seeming more prominent within the echo of the hallway. "we've got ten minutes to find you a suit and be in the car. _hurry,_ joshua."

~

what josh had been naively expecting, or just needily hoping for, when he first got the older man's phone call less than an hour prior was to be met with the sight of a half-dressed tyler joseph; flushed, intoxicated on built up tension and ready to slam the blue-haired boy up against the nearest wall with wandering hands and a kiss so desperate that he'd be drained of his oxygen supply within mere seconds. and maybe, if josh was lucky, the brunette would've bent him over his desk and fucked him until his vision began to blur, tugging at curls of his faded hair and growling those same pet-names low in his ear.

but josh had been watching far too much porn as of late to notice the flaws in his indecent daydream.

and those thoughts were definitely _not_ ones he should've been having at that exact moment in time; trailing nervously behind the man in question into the already crowded, yet somewhat sleek ballroom set-up like a damn lost puppy; one hand tangling in the shorter hair at the nape of his neck and his gaze anxiously flittering around the room in a search for the open bar.

just one glance at his boss' undeniably handsome face told him that alcohol was a must if he was going to make it through the entire evening.

sly and observant as ever, tyler broke the lingering tension between the two of them with a knowing hum. "this is business, joshua. not a party, remember?"

a wordless nod of understanding was apparently the only coherent response the younger could supply.

"am i really that bad that you need to be drunk to spend time around me?" the brunette teased with a smug side-glance, the amused undertone making a return to his usually bored voice and setting josh's cheeks alight once more with a deep rosy shade; this time, thankfully, less noticeable beneath dimmed lighting of the room.

"no. _no,_ it's just.. i, uh-"

"i was joking, kid," he assured in a murmur, making direct eye-contact with josh for the first time since their strangely suggestive moment back in his office and damn near making the blue-haired boy melt on the spot; those lidded and fluttering bedroom eyes warm and somewhat tempting, as opposed to the cold glare josh had become well acquainted with.

he could definitely get used to seeing more of that.

"right."

"seriously though, josh, you don't have to stay with me all night.. i know how bored you get in the meetings at the office, and i'm not _that much_ of a jackass to make you sit through it all again on a friday night. go and.. _'network'_.." tyler hummed, suddenly distracted and peering around the room in search of someone or something as he snagged two glasses of sparkling champagne from a waiter passing by. pushing one in the younger's direction and tapping his fingers absentmindedly on the side of his own glass, he quipped jokingly "just don't go around giving out company secrets, or else you're in trouble."

and maybe the abrupt reminder of why exactly he was here and spending so much time around the older man, coming straight from those perfectly pouted lips themselves, felt like a punch of guilt directly to his gut, but he really didn't have the time to think about that right now.

"no promises," the blue-haired boy joked timidly, forcing a feigned smile onto his lips and attempting to overlook the way tyler glanced down at them for just a beat too long; the brunette then nodding in parting and disappearing into the mass of other rich bastards behind them without another word.

~

how josh had ended up at the bar on the far side of the ballroom with a nameless man that vaguely resembled an even older version of his boss, only slightly tipsy and with a firm arm wrapped around his waist, he couldn't quite remember, but he wasn't necessarily complaining.

if anything, it was improvement on wandering around aimlessly and pining for an all too busy tyler.

but _fuck,_ he still couldn't stop thinking about the brunette.

about the way his ridiculously long eyelashes had fluttered lazily every time those softened fawn-eyes locked on josh's own, and about the way his gaze found itself lingering on the younger's lips far too often for someone who supposedly had no interest in the blue-haired boy. about the way those toned arms were being hugged so tightly by the smooth material of his suit that josh was sure it'd tear at some point, and _especially_ about the seductive lilt in the older man's raspy voice when he'd-

"am i boring you or something, kid?" the other brunette smirked, his teasing question cutting through josh's distracted thoughts like a knife and forcing him back into his somewhat dull and tyler-less reality. "you seem out of it."

"uh, no.. it's not you, i promise.." josh stuttered out ungracefully, trailing off quietly with a bite of his lip and reaching his free hand upwards to scratch at the back of his neck in distraction. "i'm just.. _tired.._ i guess. nothing personal."

"right," the stranger nodded, the warmth of his arm sliding away from the younger's waist and dipping his hand into one of the pockets on his jacket instead, as he shot josh a look of skepticism that told him he didn't quite believe his poorly articulated excuse. clearly unfazed though, his hand reappeared, this time with a business card balanced between his fingers, and the brunette placed it down beside josh's almost empty glass with a smile. "i've got to get off anyway, but if it really _is_ nothing personal.. feel free to call me, kid."

josh glanced down, running his fingers along the blunt edges of the card and trailing his eyes along the bold silver lettering with disinterest as he suffered through the petty, internal debate of 'make more of an effort with this guy', or 'go back to brooding over his boss'.

but by the time he looked back up from the shiny black card, the other man was gone.

decision made, he figured.

the quiet lull didn't last long, however, as only seconds later a shiver-inducing gush of hot, champagne-scented breath was sweeping across the back of the blue-haired boy's exposed neck in a way that josh was sure would've sent him directly into a damn cardiac arrest had the rush of alcohol in his own veins not already desensitised his nerves.

"i remember telling you to _network_ , joshua," the familiarly husky voice murmured against his skin with a gentle tsk. " _not_ to sit and flirt with my business partners who are almost twice your age."

"and i thought you were supposed to be doing business, mr. joseph, _not_ stalking _me,_ " josh retorted smoothly, even shocking himself a little considering just how intimidating the older man was, and spinning around in his stool to face him; the swift move being one that brought the two of them almost directly face to face, though the brunette still towered over him ever so slightly.

damn.

maybe it was because he was still a little fuzzy from his last drink, or maybe it was just because the reality was so much better in comparison to the illusions of the brunette that'd been conjured up in his mind, but tyler looked unfairly handsome. even more so than he had at the start of the night.

"stalking is a strong word," tyler hummed, a petty hint of discontent underlying in his tone as he tilted his head faintly in a quiet examination of the younger's face and once again neglected his own suggestion that it was rude to stare. plucking the business card from between josh's fingers, the brunette gave it a once over with an unimpressed scrunch of his nose and tossed it aside without care; cutting off any form of reaction with another low murmur.

"we should go outside, get some air."

and as always, like the damn obedient puppy he was, the blue-haired boy was fumbling after his boss without even a second thought; both his half-emptied drink and the disposed card being left behind in the dust as he hurried to keep up pace with the older man.

josh had thought, once again thanks to his overly hopeful heart formed from watching far too many unrealistic rom-coms with his sisters, that maybe, just maybe, the proposal to 'get some air' was a suggestive one that'd work out in his favour, perhaps one that'd end similarly to his original fantasy earlier on in the day, but the sight of the brunette recovering a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket said otherwise.

"you smoke?"

"on occasion," tyler shrugged casually, leaning back against the railings of the balcony and resting one of the cancerous sticks between his pouted lips as he fiddled with the lighter. "usually only when i'm stressed, and tense.. need to loosen up. why? do you have a problem with it, joshua?"

shaking his head a little too eagerly in instant dismissal as his gaze lingered on the first hazy cloud of smoke dissipating into the air between them, the younger reasoned "it's just uh.. a pretty horrible habit to get into."

like he said, it really was a disgustingly dangerous habit, but that didn't mean that josh enjoyed the view any less; of the older man, with his reddened lips wrapped around the cigarette, quirking at the corners with each inhale, and those alluring eyes lidded with pleasure as the swirls of smoke filtered out around him.

"do you know what else is a horrible habit?" the brunette asked, flashing a challenging glance towards josh, nursing the smoke between his fingers and tapping away the ashes.

apparently the question was rhetorical though, for tyler answered it himself before the blue-haired boy could even consider forming a verbal response.

"staring at somebody across the room and distracting them from doing their work, letting jealousy paint itself across your face so _easily_ and _obviously_.."

free hand reaching up to rest just beneath the younger's chin and tenderly brushing his thumb across josh's bottom lip, now parted in silent awe, tyler continued in a raspy murmur, alongside a disapproving click of his tongue, "..and biting those pretty, _pretty_ lips of yours so often."

_fuck._

like a burning touch, it was gone within seconds, with the older man smirking smugly to himself and putting out the barely touched cigarette on the railings as the younger stood silently, reeling from what had just happened; cheeks burning hotter than the touch itself, lungs practically stripped of oxygen to the point in which he felt a little faint and his tongue instinctively brushing over his tingling bottom lip as though it would somehow savour the memory.

with a glance down at his watch, cool and unaffected as ever, tyler sighed simply.

"come on, princess. s'almost midnight. time to get you home."

yeah.

josh was  _definitely_  fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter seems jumpy or is just awful in general. i don't know how i feel about it but i need sleep so it'll have to do 
> 
> thanks to anyone who reads/kudos/comments, ily all.  
> ♥️


	6. six.

to say josh was nervous to go to work on monday morning, and to face his ridiculously attractive asshole of a boss who apparently also doubled as the world's biggest tease in his free time, was the understatement of the century.

sure, he'd spent nearly every waking second of his weekend playing out scenarios of how their highly anticipated reunion would go following whatever the hell had happened between them on friday night, with nearly every single one ending with josh finally getting that kiss he'd been wanting since the first time he set eyes on the older man, but his sobered up mind had regretfully reminded him each time that those daydreams really were just fantasies contrived from watching too many of abby's romance movies.

tyler joseph was  _not_ the kind of person who was going to turn up at his apartment late one night with a bunch of blooming red roses in hand, rambling that it had been josh that he'd wanted all along and then wooing him into bed with a tender kiss to the underside of his jaw. tyler joseph was  _not_  the kind of person who was going to chase after him in street, pick josh up, spin him around and kiss him breathless in the pouring rain as soaked hair stuck to their faces and their bodies began to shiver. tyler joseph was  _not_  the kind of person who was going to press their foreheads together, and ghost his lips across every inch of josh's face as he murmured sweet nothings against his skin and confessed to falling in love with the blue-haired boy upon first sight. 

that was definite.

and what was also definite, was that josh should _not_ have been fantasising about his boss saying  _those three words_  to him, because josh was not interested him in that way.

not in the slightest.

he  _wasn't._

or at least that's what he'd been telling himself repeatedly, like a haunting chant running through his mind and leaving him on the brink of insanity, from the moment the older man had bid him goodbye late that night with another flash of his smug smirk and what josh thought was a sly wink but was far too dazed on a combination of champagne and infatuation to be sure, because he refused to let himself get attached to  _tyler joseph_ of all people.

like he'd said before, anything more than candid physical attraction would be a damn death sentence, though he guessed it'd be fitting for his seemingly endless chain of bad luck.

and apparently, as always, said bad luck had decided to tag along onto josh's life once more, for the monday morning greeting he'd received hadn't been exactly what he'd been hoping for.

one hand wrapped around the handle of the door to tyler's office and the other balancing the older man's morning black coffee, no cream and no sugar, josh froze in place at the sound of a muffled yet unmistakably enraged shout echoing from just beyond the wall; the voice, slightly raspy as always, so obviously belonging to his boss, but reaching a level of annoyance the blue-haired boy had never heard before that admittedly sent a wave of fear through him.

and  _maybe_  a wave of slight arousal too, but josh was ignoring that one.

of course, josh could think of a million and one things better than being caught in the firing line of the older man's fury so early on a monday morning, but realistically there was no way of avoiding it and surely giving him time to cool down and turning up a little late would only add fuel to the fire, if past experience was anything to go by. but hey, tyler seemed to have a soft spot for the blue-haired boy now.

or at least he hoped so.

stepping into the office as quietly as physically possible and practically tiptoeing over to his own desk, josh resisted the urge to turn around and meet the no doubt cold and stern stare pinned to his back, instead setting the takeout cup of coffee down and beginning to mindlessly fumble with switching on his own laptop as a distraction from the tension that seemed to suffocate the entire damn office - unlike the passing month or so, however, the tension wasn't lingering with those sexual undertones that made the younger consider just dropping to his knees and relieving them both there and then.

this tension felt as though the whole room was made of fragile glass, and if josh were to make one wrong move? every single thing around him would shatter and the older man would probably lose his shit on the spot and strangle the blue-haired boy with one simple squeeze of those hands.

not that he was necessarily  _opposed_  to the idea of those hands, slightly coarse and tanned and firm, wrapping around his neck in a somewhat different setting.

but  _fuck._

now was not the time to be thinking about that.

"..then find a way to  _fix it, mark._ "

tyler's low growl, sharper than ever before, cut through the tension in the way the younger had been so worried about doing so himself, only to be signed off seconds later with the forceful slam of the telephone back into the holder.

poor mark, was all josh could think with an apprehensive bite of his lip.

crossing the short gap between their desks near silently, and focusing his gaze on just about anything other than the brunette's standoffish stare that had apparently taken over those warm, bedroom eyes once more, josh placed the still steaming starbucks cup just beside the older man instead, where he was resting back against his desk in the way that always asserted his authority and left the younger about ready to melt into a puddle in front of him; freed up fingers instinctively finding the loose curls at the nape of his neck and carding through them anxiously. 

"mr. joseph? ..is everything okay?"

"it doesn't concern you," the brunette huffed in instant dismissal, one hand brushing backwards through slightly dishevelled curls that only accentuated his hassle and eyes rolling in exasperation in the way josh was all too familiar with at this point.

really, if it was something bigger than just a petty office problem or his boss simply happening to be in an unsurprisingly disastrous mood, then it _did_ concern the younger and his damn spy mission, but josh wasn't going to mention that.

maybe he'd just have to track 'mark' down later.

"okay, well i.. uh.. got your coffee.."

"i can see that, joshua. i'm not blind," tyler replied bluntly, handsome face remaining equally blank and void of any emotion aside from the persistent glint of stress in his gaze until he quirked a perfectly groomed, and seemingly challenging, eyebrow in josh's direction. "why are you hovering around my desk instead of working?"

cheeks flushing lightly as per routine, from both the intensity of tyler's cool stare and the embarrassment of being called out on his obvious yearning for further conversation with the brunette so frankly, josh stuttered with a feigned shrug of indifference and another tug of faded curls. "i just wanted to say.. thanks.. for taking me with you on friday, i guess. i had fun, it was uh.. fun spending time with you, outside of work."

"it was business," tyler reinstated, voice laced with boredom as always, tilting his head in the blue-haired boy's direction questioningly and beginning to tap his fingers against his desk; the dull drumming against the marble surface and the younger's ridiculously loud heartbeat being the only things to fill the short bout of silence between them. "who else was i going to take?"

talk about dr. jekyll and mr. damn hyde.

his boss was a mysterious man, sure, but josh had no fucking clue how he could so easily switch between being the flirt that'd murmured swoon-worthy pet names against his skin and tenderly touched his lips and the cold-hearted millionaire who showed zero emotion towards josh and never seemed to give him so much as a second glance.  

honestly, josh was beginning to think he'd imagined all that had happened between them and an even bigger part of him wished that was true, because it’d make his job a hell of a lot easier.

with a blatantly nervous gulp, the blue-haired boy stuttered "yeah, i know, i just-"

" _stop_  biting your lip."

fuck.

instantly obliging as the intimidation that josh thought he'd managed to escape after their oddly suggestive night returned in full force, the younger swiped his tongue across the fresh indentation where the itch of the brunette's touch still seemed to linger and made an attempt to ignore both the interruption and the fact that tyler's gaze had returned to his lips, in what seemed to be becoming a habit of his own.

“you bite your lips when you’re nervous,” the brunette observed with a hum, sight finally flickering back up to meet josh’s eyes and pushing himself up from the desk, leaving the gap between them practically non-existent once more. 

_ fuck. _

warm breath brushing across his face, and coated in cigarette smoke in a way that really should’ve been making josh gag with disgust but was damn near impossible when it was the product of such a captivating man, tyler quizzed in a low murmur “do i make you nervous, joshua?”

lying about something so blatantly obvious would be nonsensical, he supposed.

"dude.. you're intimidating as hell.." josh breathed, the lack of proximity between the two of them forcibly pinning his gaze onto the older man and essentially drowning him in the half-woodsy, half-vanilla scent of tyler's aftershave that just about masked the lingering smell of stale smoke. " _and_ you're a millionaire, _and_ _my boss_ so.."

cocking his head in doubt, with a return of that barely noticeable but all too teasing smirk on his pouted lips, tyler drawled raspily "and here i was thinking you were nervous because you wanted to kiss me, kitten."

**_ fuck. _ **

"i, _uh-_ "

far too dazed by the return of the swoon-worthy pet name, which the younger had admittedly spent far too much of his weekend dreamily replaying in the back of his mind, josh barely even had the chance to process exactly what it was that the older man had just said before the burning touch of a strong hand trailing across the small of his back kicked him back into reality; tyler tugging him closer and brushing their lips so faintly that the blue-haired boy was sure he caught a faint taste of honey on his lips.

"is that what you want?" the brunette whispered, the words tingling against josh's lips despite the fact that both of them were aware the question was redundant, given that tyler already knew the blatantly obvious answer.

of course, the smug bastard just wanted to hear it out loud though.

" _please._ "

instead of being met with those lips in a long-awaited kiss that would no doubt be the very thing to stop josh's heart completely though, they were annoyingly confronted by a sharp knock of the office door; tyler instantly tugging away his hand and settling back into position against his desk with a quiet huff of frustration, leaving the younger embarrassingly flushed and damn near whining with need for the return of the brunette's touch.

clearing his throat, and continuing on as if he _hadn't_ just fallen back into his fucking _christian grey_ act and been seconds away from probably allowing josh to drop to his knees in front of him, tyler called out confidently.

"come in."

and yeah, josh _definitely_ had the worst luck in the world.

confirmed only by the sudden appearance of the last person he wanted to see right now, or ever really, with her flushed cheeks and bashful smile and piercing blue eyes and fluttering eyelashes.

"good morning, mr. joseph.. _josh.._ " jenna greeted, her lovestruck gaze failing to even acknowledge the blue-haired boy for more than a millisecond before returning to fawning over the older man sickeningly.

"what's up, jen?" tyler asked, voice laced with monotony and fingers scratching awkwardly at his increasingly prominent five o'clock shadow, though he returned the soft smile regardless and damn near made the butterflies still lingering deep in the pit of josh's stomach completely lose it at the sight they'd never witnessed before.

_jen._

god, josh hated her.

"i know your schedule is pretty full, and i probably won't get the chance to speak to you for the rest of the day so.. i just wanted to check if we're still on for tonight.." the blonde smiled, lips curving coyly at the corners and a manicured finger twirling a loose strand of her hair. "you know.. for dinner?"

gaze flickering to a still flushed, and now seemingly confused, josh for a split second before retuning to jenna with another flash of the unfairly charming smile that appeared to be solely reserved for the younger girl, tyler assured "of course, i'll send a car to come and pick you up. 7:30?"

"perfect," she grinned, voice irritatingly chirpy as ever and the so obviously charmed glint in her eyes leaving josh on the brink of rolling his own. "i can't wait.. see you, ty."

_ty._

he hated her _so much._

only when the door had closed quietly and the sound of heels clacking against the hallway floor had faded into the distance did josh speak up again; a sudden surge of confidence lacing his usually shy tone and nothing but pure frustration painting itself across his features.

"i thought she wasn't your girlfriend."

"she's not," tyler shrugged nonchalantly, shifting to instead take a seat behind the desk and focusing his freshly uninterested stare on the lit-up computer as opposed to facing josh directly, in a way that suggested he'd somehow fallen back into the side of his persona that didn't have time for flirting or even full conversation with the blue-haired boy; fingers racing across the keyboard and his eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

"but you're going on a date with her tonight?" josh scoffed, undeniably irritated by the brunette's sudden disinterest.

with another of his exasperated eye-rolls, that the younger had been correct in assuming he'd see a lot of, tyler repeated lowly "it doesn't concern you, joshua."

"you're an asshole."

"i'm also your boss," tyler countered without even missing a beat, boredom at the topic at hand beginning to seep into his tone as he mindlessly scrolled through the influx of emails swarming the illuminated screen, "so watch your mouth, and get back to work."

okay.

so _maybe_ he hated tyler joseph too.

even if he did still want to kiss him breathless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've re-written this about 4 times now but i'm sick of re-reading it so take it away from me before i go crazy  
> i hope you like it even if i don't 
> 
> ❤️


	7. seven.

so maybe josh now had a proclaimed hate for tyler joseph.

and of course, he'd known right from the beginning of this whole undercover ass-saving mission turned flirty fiasco that his main aim was to dig up the dirt on the millionaire, personal enough to break the news and maybe even put a dent in that oh so shiny reputation of his, but that didn't mean he could just completely ignore the looming feeling of guilt that weighed down on him when he begrudgingly located the blonde devil behind the front desk on his lunch break to ask where he could find a certain 'mark' around the office.

and if anything, that same feeling only increased when josh finally locked his sights on the shorter man in question, hovering over the printer with a takeout cup of coffee in hand, to the point in which his knees felt a little weak beneath him.

apparently, tyler still held the secondhand ability to make the blue-haired boy feel faint even when they _weren't_ breaths apart and one beat away from kissing each other breathless.

forcibly swallowing back the guilt now rising in his throat too, with the hope that it wouldn't bleed through into the faux-confidence of his tone, josh called out "uh.. hey, you're mark, right?"

"that's me," the other man replied without so much as a flinch at the disturbance, tapping a combination of buttons on the machine's touchscreen with his free hand before glancing back at the unfamiliar voice; the seemingly bored look painting his face dropping the second his gaze caught onto josh, and instead being replaced with a twinge of unease in his eyes. "..aren't you tyler's new assistant?"

"i'm not necessarily new anymore but.. _yeah,_ " the younger supplied with a shrug, reaching up almost by second instinct to uncomfortably scratch at the nape of his neck in a move that he hoped would pass off as a simple show of social awkwardness as opposed to festering remorse, before mimicking mark with a feigned smile. "that's me."

and though josh had thought the other man looked tense before, the confirmation of exactly who he was only seemed to intensify his apprehension: the flushed colour of his cheeks fading ever so slightly and an audible gulp interrupting the silence between them.

damn.

tyler must've had a lot more power than josh gave him credit for.

" _fuck,_ " mark huffed, in a tone supposed to be under his breath despite the fact that it was too quiet in the room to _not_ hear his curse, and started stacking up the slow stream of printing sheets just beside him. "is he still pissed? i kind of don't want to face him if he's gonna lose his shit at me again, but i've seriously been doing everything i can to try and find a way around this and-"

poor mark, seriously.

and though josh had no fucking clue what _'this'_ was, he'd be damned if he didn't find out what had gotten his boss so riled up this morning.

"dude," the younger interrupted, holding his hands up in the air almost in a show of surrender as if he had to prove he wasn't even close to being as much of a threat as their stone-faced, apparently cold-hearted boss, and taking a slow step closer towards the other man. 

really, he couldn't confirm whether or not tyler was still pissed; though the brunette had been in a lousy mood all morning long, snapping at josh at just about every opportunity possible for the dumbest things, like drumming his damn fingers against the desk out of boredom, and barking orders down the phone at any of his employees who even dared to call with that admittedly attractive raspy growl, the blue-haired boy couldn't distinguish the sole cause of his annoyance.

it could've been whatever the hell the original issue was causing him to act like such a damn jackass, but josh was almost pretty sure he had at least some part to play in getting on the older man's nerves.

just when he was beginning to think things had changed.

"i mean, he's still a little mad, sure, but.. when isn't he mad?" josh joked with a reassuring smile twitching at his lips in a dire attempt to lighten the mood between the two of them, before continuing with only a slight waver in his tone at the incoming lie. "he, uh.. just sent me to find you, to see how things were going with.. you know.. _fixing it._ "

if josh wasn't so nervous, to the point in which he felt seconds away from spewing up his own morning coffee right across mark's white shirt, then he definitely would've laughed at his own godawful and almost completely unbelievable spiel.

maybe he wasn't as great of a liar as he originally thought.

so he guessed it was a good thing that mark was, apparently, incredibly gullible. 

"oh," the other man nodded, breathing out a quiet sigh of what josh assumed was relief and trailing off into an uncertain smile of his own; the expression of optimism not quite reaching his eyes, which the blue-haired boy had a feeling was a common case for pretty much anyone and everyone who worked under the strict orders of tyler joseph. "well, i got into contact with his lawyers this morning and they said that with the band trying to sue the label, it could go either way really, because they're both partially in the wrong.. us, tyler especially, for withholding the music, and the band for then self-releasing without his approval. so because both of them have technically breached the contract, it's unsure which way it'll go if it does go to court. but obviously.. they said tyler has the upper hand, money-wise, so... _oh,_ and there's some paperwork he needs to have ready for his lawyers by the end of the week, which i'm just printing out now."

fuck.

he definitely wasn't expecting _that,_ both because he was still essentially a stranger to this other guy and because that seemed like a pretty damn big scandal that he was sure the brunette would've killed to keep a secret, but hey.. josh wasn't complaining.

at least he was getting that story he needed out of it.

"right.. yeah, okay.." the younger murmured more to himself than anything with a furrow of his eyebrows as he processed the influx of information, pushing back the sleeve of his shirt just a touch and glancing at the slowly ticking hands of his watch. "thanks, mark, i'll uh.. let him know and stuff.. save you from having to face him, right?"

with a quiet laugh, slightly more relaxed this time around and accompanied with another quirk of his faint smile, mark nodded as he fumbled with filing the freshly printed sheets; his coffee cup long forgotten on top of the still beeping machine. "yeah, thanks dude. appreciate it.. i'll just leave the paperwork with jenna, alright?"

"got it."

~

josh had considered that maybe, just maybe, after having an hour long lunch, coffee and smoke break, that always left the older man smelling of the blissfully intoxicating combination of fresh cigarette smoke, black coffee and his vanilla infused aftershave, that his boss' mood would've improved at least a little; pulling him out of the persona that glared at the blue-haired boy with a fire in his bedroom eyes and growled upon simply hearing him breathe a little too loudly, and pushing him back into the cold-hearted, unbeatably apathetic and ever bored version of himself that josh had very first been acquainted with.

of course, neither of them were ideal, but at least the latter option didn't leave the younger so on edge that he considered quitting completely and screwing up his entire life to be a viable option more and more with each passing second.

but really, his consideration was useless, because there was no chance in hell that his life was going to give him a break on the grounds of bad luck when he most needed it.

therefore, it definitely didn't come as a surprise when the first words to leave his boss' lips upon his return were ones that he was sure he'd head a million times before.

_"you're late."_

"it's 2:01," josh informed tiredly, holding back the disgruntled huff that was threatening to slip from between his lips at the bitter exchange that he could already predict was on it's way as he avoided even gazing in the direction of the brunette; instead focusing on sifting through the stack of loose files tyler had at some point messily tossed onto the younger's desk.

"and your lunch break ends at 2:00," tyler retorted without missing a single beat of silence, the unseen scowl on his handsome face evident to the blue-haired boy within the way that all too familiar huskiness laced it's way into the older man's tone. "what happened to knowing how a clock works, joshua?"

asshole.

not that he had one prepared anyway, but the younger didn't even get the chance to retaliate with his own smartass, witty comment before another, somewhat unfamiliar voice was cutting through the brewing tension between the two of them like a knife.

"stop being such a jackass and give the kid a break, ty."

head instantly snapping around in confusion, josh was sure he felt his heart stop beating on the spot as he locked his gaze on the other man lazily sprawled in the chair opposite the older man's desk; coffee-coloured eyes, nowhere near as tempting as tyler's own but a hell of a lot warmer, dark hair slicked back smoothly, wearing a skin-tight white t-shirt that exposed colourful tattoos and with a mischievous smirk twitching at the corners of his lips.

apparently, all it took was one flash of the other man's blinding smile for josh to return to his usual, graceless self; the heap of perfectly crisp papers slipping from between his fingers with a quiet whoosh of air before the blue-haired boy could even process what was happening, and scattering across the floor in a mess that more or less resembled his bedroom floor.

_"shit."_

"imbecile," tyler huffed in scolding, distain practically drowning his words and the feeling of his ever irritated stare pinned the younger boy's side like a firing arrow upon a target washing over josh with a whole new wave of embarrassment; his cheeks flushing so deeply and burning so wildly that josh was sure the whole office was seconds away from bursting into flames.

"you're such a dick," the other brunette, still nameless and still stupidly attractive, laughed with an exaggerated roll of his eyes in tyler's direction; jumping up from his seat with a languid stretch of his arms, that admittedly caught the blue-haired boy's attention thanks to the tightening of his t-shirt, and crouching down beside him. already working on scooping up the fallen sheets and piling them up neatly to hand back over to josh, the stranger leaned forward and whispered teasingly, "just ignore him, he's having a real fuckin' grouchy day."

he wasn't wrong, but josh wondered whether or not this man knew tyler at all, given that every day seemed to be a so called 'grouchy day' as of late.

with another irked eye-roll gracing his pretty face, that the younger just about caught out of the corner of his eye in his ongoing attempt to avoid all contact with his obviously angered boss, tyler stated in a shutdown of the quiet lull between them, "i can hear you, brendon."

"oh, i know you can, ty," brendon chimed in a tone seemingly unbothered by the other brunette's damn suffocating intimidation, before shooting another grin in the younger's direction and holding out his newly freed up hand towards him. "nice to meet you, kid.. what's your name, and what's a pretty boy like you doing working for such a dick like my best bud over there, huh?"

best bud.

now it made more sense as to why the other brunette wasn't intimidated by tyler to the point in which he was left as nothing more than a blushing mess with a slight stutter in his words and an undeniable crush, just like josh had been and would probably always be around his temporary boss.

though he'd continue to deny that crush until the day he died, josh was sure.

because he absolutely, 100% did _not_ have a crush on tyler joseph.

he definitely hated him.

one hand reaching up to settle the recollected papers back onto his desk, josh slid the other into brendon's outstretched own; fingers brushing against his surprisingly soft skin and a faltering and so obviously flustered reply attempting to form on his tongue. "nice to meet you too, i.. i'm josh and, uh-"

"do angels usually work for the devil, josh? because i think you might just be in the wrong line of work here, kid."

" _stop_ _flirting with my assistant,_ " tyler snapped, his low growl laced with levels of venom equal to the very shouts the younger had heard echoing from his office earlier on in the morning; fury painting itself across his pretty features in the form of furrowed brows and that usual, shiver-inducing cold glare as the two of them refocused their sights on the older man instead. 

_fuck._

as much as he hated it, josh had to admit that anger was a damn attractive sight on tyler joseph when it wasn't aimed towards him for once.

quirking an eyebrow in the brunette's direction as he one handedly reached out to snatch a marker pen from josh's desk, brendon challenged smugly "is someone a little jealous? 'cause i don't think that's allowed, bud. so long as you're still banging blondie, i can hit on whoever i want, and you can't say shit."

"get out."

"yeah, yeah, one sec.." the other man muttered, clearly amused by the older man's current distaste towards him as he reached forward to hastily roll up the blue-haired boy's sleeve. popping off the cap between his teeth with a concentrated hum, brendon brushed one thumb softly against the skin of josh's forearm before scribbling down a series of digits; signing off his number as though it was a damn work of art with a barely legible '-b' and a scrawled out love heart.

and for the first time that day, josh was convinced that maybe his luck wasn't so bad after all.

shooting the blue-haired boy a sly wink and tossing the pen carelessly back onto the desk as he began to back out of the office, the brunette purred "call me, yeah? oh, and ty.. see you tomorrow, you beautiful bastard."

and just like that, with one simple slam of the office door, the two of them were essentially engulfed within an unnerving bout of silence once more. 

cheeks still cooling down from their burning flush, induced both from the feeling of tyler's somewhat possessive gaze still lingering over him and the fact of a man as attractive as brendon flirting with him so openly, josh leaned back against his desk with a shaky sigh; so distracted by readjusting his disheveled sleeve and questioning what exactly had just happened that his overactive mind barely even processed the quiet taps of his boss' feet against the office floor that were getting closer and closer.

only when the distinctly discernible scent of fresh cigarette smoke, black coffee and vanilla aftershave began to attack his senses did josh peer up, only to be met once more with that unfairly handsome sight.

tyler, all messy-haired and sleepy-eyed and pouty-lipped, with a gentle crinkle of disapproval evident between his perfectly groomed brows.

_fuck._

"i think you should think twice about calling brendon," the brunette hummed in suggestion, though it seemed more of an order than anything if the domineering undertone intertwining with the raspiness in his voice was anything to go by; tyler dropping down his left hand to rest against josh's thigh and tilting his head as though he was challenging the younger to even attempt to defy him.

unable to trust his own voice out of nerves, josh dropped his tone down to a whisper. "give me one good reason why i shouldn't."

apparently, the older man was a fan of wordless answers.

undeniably suave as ever, and in what seemed to be a flirtatious recreation of their friday night, tyler reached out to rest his free hand just beneath the younger's chin, tenderly brushing his thumb across the blue-haired boy's lip ever so briefly before tugging him forward with an audible hitch of breath; the brunette's lips finally brushing against josh's own in one gentle, burning touch, feeling every bit as soft and tasting of the sweet honey that josh had imagined in every single damn daydream of his.

it really did feel like heaven.

one silky smooth swipe of tyler's tongue across his bottom lip, and one contrastingly rough brush of stubble against his own chin was apparently all that was needed to pull a drawn-out whimper from the younger's lips; the older man swallowing every single, meek sound that he released with a low moan of his own, as the hand previously holding his chin trailed to the faded curls at the nape of his neck with an unsuspected tug, and one of josh's legs instantly hitched above his boss' hip.

yeah.

that was _definitely_ a good enough reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so used to writing kisses in first person for wildflower that i've forgotten how to do it any other way so.. forgive me for this awful mess please.
> 
> love you.


	8. eight.

although he had chided mark for being exactly the same way upon their first meeting, josh had been ridiculously naive to even contemplate the idea that his long-awaited kiss with his extremely attractive asshole of a boss would change everything in their fucked up situation _completely._

josh had definitely assumed, as the brunette tangled his fingers through his baby curls and tenderly rubbed circles into his hitched thigh and practically stole every ounce of oxygen left in his lungs right there on top of his desk, that tyler would without a doubt leave jenna behind in the dust in a heartbeat, and perhaps run straight to him instead.

and sure, tyler was considerably nicer to him throughout the week, with his tone remaining warm and soothing within their interactions, as opposed to reverting back to the usual irritable bark that the blue-haired boy typically seemed to draw from him with only a single breath, and his lingering touches seeming to increase in the form of brushing their shoulders slyly as they passed each other and the older man's strong hand possessively smoothing across josh's upper arm as he observed his work from behind, but apparently, that meant nothing.

not to tyler joseph, at least.

proven simply when josh walked into the break room that friday, only to be met with the sight of what he assumed was every single woman that worked within the office in a small huddle around jenna just beside the coffee machine; giggling and practically swooning on the damn spot as the blonde grinned and sickeningly gushed about just how 'romantic' her dinner date with the big scary boss had been.

and maybe, just maybe, if josh didn't completely hate her guts and wasn't also desperately fawning for the older man's attention, he would've joined in with them.

really, he was just relieved that patrick wasn't there to echo those all too knowing words in his ear once more.

_'you should probably quit while you're ahead with this guy, because it's really not going to end well'._

but those very words, ringing through the back of josh's mind and seeming to drown out even the usually interesting sounds of whichever episode of the x-files that was aimlessly playing on his tv, were exactly how the blue-haired boy had found himself slamming his laptop shut mid-article about the jackass himself and swiping through his phone in search of the phone number that he'd shamelessly saved earlier on in the week, just in case things did happen to go to hell with his boss.

josh definitely deserved a date with someone who wasn't just playing with his feelings for what appeared to be just the thrill of it, and it wasn't necessarily a crime if tyler never found out about it, he figured.

" _hey there, angel face._ "

that same, once unfamiliar and obnoxiously loud voice interrupting the quiet lull of passing traffic snapped the younger boy out of his preoccupied trance with a slight jump; josh spinning on his heel instantly and being met with the sight of that somewhat comforting and ever mischievous smirk tugging at the other brunette's lips.

damn.

maybe he didn't have those sleepy, bedroom eyes and perfectly groomed curls and that undeniably attractive five o'clock shadow that the younger so often fantasised about late at night, but he still looked damn good; dark hair sleek and slicked back, a playful glint in his wide eyes and a short-sleeved button down showing off his colourful tattoos in all their glory.

"hey, again," josh smiled nervously as he looked the other man up and down in a show of not so subtle admiration, a rosy blush spreading across his cheeks instantaneously at the sweet nickname in a way he could only hope would go unnoticed in the dimmed lighting of the street. "you look good.. not bad for such short notice."

brendon's laugh rang through the air as he closed the gap between the two of them and slung one arm comfortably across the blue-haired boy's shoulder; instantly nudging himself close enough that josh could smell the lingering scents of spearmint on his tongue, left behind by the gum he was still chewing despite his grin. "that might just be the most i've ever heard you speak, kid. and you don't look so bad yourself.. _in fact,_ you look fucking amazing. gotta say, that blue hair is a real dick magnet."

it definitely would've been a damn lie to say that he didn't feel a shiver run down his spine when the brunette reached up to rake his fingers softly through faded curls, and that he didn't, admittedly, forget that tyler joseph even existed for those split few seconds.

"shut up," the younger whispered bashfully, knocking against brendon's chest softly with his shoulder but finding himself giggle regardless of the embarrassment when the other man let a teasing coo slip from between his lips; instantly accepting the invite and tangling his fingers with the brunette's own when he reached down for josh's hand.

and maybe, he thought, he could get used to this.

following the older man's lead into the main entrance of the restaurant that looked _exactly_ like the kind of place a millionaire and his friends would spend their free time, or more or less being tugged along as he attempted to recover from his schoolgirl-esque flush, josh asked with a bite of his lip "is this place expensive? 'cause seriously.. it looks like an appetiser from here will cost more than a whole month of my rent."

and sure, josh was _associated_ with millionaires now, but that didn't necessarily mean he could afford their lifestyle.

"oh, totally," brendon confirmed, seemingly unbothered by that fact that was ridiculously intimidating to the younger on the other hand; the smugness seeping its way back into his tone as he nodded in acknowledgement to the beaming hostess already standing by with two sleek menus in hand. "guess it's a good job neither of us are getting the bill, huh?"

"wait, what do you-"

"mr. urie," the redhead interrupted with a polite yet knowing smile, cutting off the blue-haired boy's question before he could even completely catch brendon's attention; handing over the menus to him and signalling in the direction of the glass door just to the left of her, the entrance lit up by a obnoxiously large chandelier. "we've prepared your usual table with a complementary bottle of red wine, and your other guests are already seated."

 _of course_ he had a usual table here.

_wait._

other guests?

"brendon-"

"oh, did i forget to mention?" the brunette asked vaguely with a glance down at josh's bewildered face, though the obviously pleased smirk failed to even waver on his lips. "this is a double date, angel, and it's a damn good job we've got a millionaire here with us to pay for all this fancy shit."

of course, there was always the possibility that brendon knew and was friends with multiple millionaires, but the devilish look painting itself across his features told josh that this set-up was exactly what he thought it was.

_fuck._

his bad luck really was the worst.

if there was a list of things conceivably worse than wallowing in insufferable silence in the office as tyler glared at him from across the room, then he was more than certain that spending his friday evening suffering through those very same glares and watching tyler flirt endlessly with _jen_ right in front of his face would be a contender. 

jerking his hand away from the older man's own and forcing himself to swallow the anxiety that he could practically feel crawling up his throat, josh whined, in what was more of a nervous ramble, "no, _no way.._ are you crazy? i can't go in there and sit opposite him all night.. i.. i already spend my whole week with him and-"

"cut the shit, kid," brendon sighed, the gentle sound trailing off into an incredulous laugh that settled the blue-haired boy's nerves in the slightest way; locking his soft hands on either side of josh's face and forcing the younger to meet his reassuring gaze, he continued "look, i'm doing you a favour here, yeah? i know you've got the hots for the big bad wolf, and i also know the feeling is mutual. ty's been my best friend since college.. i know how this works, and i've seen this happen far too many fuckin' times for me to still have my sanity in tact. he's the kind of dick that probably won't even consider making a serious move so long as he knows you're an easy catch, which you are.. _unless_ i'm in the way. you see where i'm going with this?"

"i mean.. yeah, _but-_ "

"no buts, josh," the older man cuts off once more, his voice dropping down to a low murmur as his gaze flickered briefly in the direction of the dining room, "this is a win-win-win situation. you get to make tyler jealous, and i get to do my two favourite pastimes at once; date a pretty boy, and get on that bastard's nerves. sound good?"

what did he have to lose?

maybe his life, if tyler just so happened to lose his shit on the spot and decided to stab the two of them across the table with a damn steak knife, but hey.

at least he wouldn't have to worry about the looming possibility of being fired anymore that way.

with a nervous bite of his lip, that was far too much of a habit to quit at this point, josh nodded "okay.. yeah, _yeah._ "

"perfect."

allowing his fingers to intertwine with the older man's once more, the warmth of his hold somewhat settling the spike of nerves that even the mere mention of his boss' name managed to bring back around, the blue-haired boy trailed closely behind brendon as they weaved their way through the dimly lit restaurant; fighting the overwhelming urge to bury his face in the crook of the brunette's neck completely when he caught a glimpse of that all too familiar, unfairly handsome face and felt his heart damn near falter inside his chest.

suddenly, turning the other way and running a mile seemed like the better option after all.

"ty-guy!" brendon greeted, throwing his arms out wide and beaming at the other man, despite the fact that tyler's unusually relaxed gaze failed to even shift an inch in their direction; instead focusing on scanning the menu in hand with a slight furrow of his brows and a tug of his bottom lip in a way that seemed to mirror the very action the younger was always scolded for. "how you doin', bud?"

"amazing," the brunette drawled, the raspiness in his voice only seeming to heighten his disinterested tone, "it's not like i had better things to do with my friday evening, other than drain myself of money in this place just so that you can attempt to impress your newest fling."

asshole.

" _tyler,_ " jenna scolded, swatting at his upper arm with the back of her manicured hand before flickering her own gaze up in search of said 'fling'; her lips instantly curving up into a warm smile, that josh probably would've been comforted by had he not hated her so much, and a glint of interest flashing in her icy-blue eyes when she caught sight of him damn near clinging to his fake date's side.

rolling his eyes inattentively without even a flinch at the blonde's chiding, tyler added in a sentiment that the younger assumed was aimed towards him, "no offence."

"none taken."

head instantly snapping up at the unexpected sound of josh's surprisingly unwavering voice, those darkened eyes locked directly on the younger boy, filled with a flash of emotions that josh couldn't quite distinguish; something between annoyance and brief confusion, with a small hint of greed that left his head faint and his knees feeling weak beneath him.

and maybe josh thought he was being _slightly_ hopeful with that last one, but the way his boss' fingers instantly tightened their grip around the menu and his sharp tongue swiped across his bottom lip almost predatorily told him otherwise.

_"joshua?"_

"hi.. mr. joseph."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter  
> sorry for the lack of real joshler  
> this and the next chapter were originally going to be one longer chapter but..
> 
> it's fun to tease people.
> 
> love you ♥️


	9. nine.

maybe when brendon had first proposed it, messing with tyler had seemed like an idea that josh could will himself to get on board with, given that the older man most definitely deserved some sort of payback for the whirlwind mess of feelings that he had caused as of late in what the younger assumed was just some sort of game to him, but actually standing in front of the unfairly attractive asshole in that damn restaurant was a completely different story.

because suddenly, josh felt like he was standing at the door of the brunette's office for the first time again; that same numbing feeling brushing his fingers that held brendon's own hand in a near death grip and his head spinning sickeningly and his stomach churning so harshly that the blue-haired boy would happily have put a bet on his regurgitated lunch making an appearance before he even had the chance to look over the menu, that itself wasn't in the best shape; seeming seconds away from being snapped in half by tyler's tensed hands.

and though in reality it may have only lasted a few simple seconds, the daunting air of silence seemed to drag on far too long for josh's liking.

fuck.

perhaps this was one of his worst schemes to date, possibly even more senseless than agreeing to involve himself in this asshole's life just for the possibility of saving his own ass from utter despair and maybe bagging a promotion along the way, but backing out definitely wasn't an option now.

not by the way brendon was giving his hand a soft tug and pulling out the chair directly opposite from his stone-faced boss for him, despite the fact that the brunette's fiery glare was pinned to him so sternly that josh was more than certain that his legs would fail to function at all if he even attempted to move.

"so, _josh.._ " jenna smiled in a break of the deafening silence surrounding the table, another of those somewhat stiff and so obviously forced beams that she always intended to pass off as sweet whenever the blue-haired boy was within breathing proximity of the older man, "of course, it's lovely to see you but i didn't know that you even knew brendon.. this is such a surprise. right, ty?"

and apparently, josh and his fake date weren't the only ones set to face the backlash of the brunette's petulant mood for the rest of the evening.

with nothing but a low grunt of agreement in response, tyler tossed the menu down onto the candlelit table with a thud; his newly freed up hand reaching for his wine glass instead and damn near draining the bitter liquid in one disinterested swig, yet not once shifting his irked gaze from where it was trained on the blue-haired boy's face.

shooting a icy side-glare towards tyler, the blonde's manicured hand seemed to tighten around her own wine glass ever so slightly; another feigned smile, almost apologetic, being plastered across her rosy-painted lips as she reverted her attention back to the other couple. "sorry about him, he's just been a little stressed lately with some things going on at work.."

of course, that wasn't news at all to josh.

but for once, and possibly the only time ever, he felt bad for jenna, given that she seemed to naively believe that the tension essentially radiating off of the brunette really was caused by his looming lawsuit alone.

" _some things going on at work,_ " tyler echoed with a scoff, as he tilted his head in a not so subtle inspection of the younger boy; those bedroom eyes slowly tracing themselves across every inch of his face and his fingers tapping almost tauntingly against the curve of his nearly empty glass, "i guess you could call it that."

"well, he is just naturally an asshole too," brendon reasoned with a smirk and a mimicked tilt of his head towards his best friend, reaching for the bottle of wine to fill their own glasses without a care for the annoyed stare now being shot in his direction instead, "so you don't need to apologise for him, blondie."

and damn.

josh had no idea whether he wanted to laugh or cry right there and then.

_"blondie?"_

"she does have a name," the brunette interrupted jenna's seemingly offended huff in her defence; his raspy tone, practically oozing with monotony, showing anything but an interest in the conversation, or even the blonde herself as he ran his thumb along the curve of his jaw with a slight scratch of his stubble.

lazily resting his arm across the back of the younger's chair and reaching up to tangle his warm fingers in the faded curls at the nape of josh's neck soothingly, brendon shot back with a hum "so does my joshie here, but you only ever seem to call him your _assistant,_  jackass."

sometimes kitten was thrown in there too, but josh definitely wasn't going to mention that one.

feeling his cheeks begin to burn with their usual rosy blush, though he couldn't quite distinguish whether it was down to his date's use of the sweet nickname or simply the flustering reminder of the very pet name that his boss had once purred against his lips, the blue-haired boy instantly turned to hide his face against the older man's shoulder with a murmur of warning, " _brendon-_ "

" _your_ 'joshie'?" tyler mimicked, eyes rolling exaggeratedly and his pouted lips curling up with barely disguised disgust as he watched the two of them across the table with one of those cold and somewhat stern stares that josh was far too familiar with feeling pinned to him; his hand seeming to move on auto-pilot as he emptied the remainder of the bottle's bitter contents into his glass in spite of jenna's disapproving glance.

a bitter drink for a blatantly bitter man seemed fitting, josh figured.

perfect.

"you haven't even known _joshua_ for a whole week, but i'll give you credit.. that's probably the longest you've ever kept someone in mind, huh, bren?"

fuck.

this definitely wasn't turning out to be one of their best ideas.

clearly unfazed by the brunette's dig, which the younger could only assume came from years of friendship, the older man only flashed a grin towards him and continued with his obviously flirtatious touches; the tips of his fingers grazing across the exposed skin of josh's neck just above the collar of his shirt as he retorted, with a quirked brow and a sly nod towards a scowling jenna, "could say the same to you.. how long has whatever the fuck this is been going on? a couple of months now? don't you usually just toss them out as soon as they've-"

cut off only by the sudden appearance of the oblivious waiter just beside the table, brendon fell silent alongside the rest of them; clearing his throat as though it would somehow simultaneously clear the tension in the air that was damn near suffocating the younger boy, and sharing a somewhat reassuring side glance with him.

really though, his sentence didn't even need to be finished for the blue-haired boy to already know what had been coming.

and if the offended, and slightly nauseated look paining itself across the blonde's once perfect features was anything to go by?

then josh was assuming she'd figured it out too.

"..are you ready for me to take your order?"

~

of course, right from the very moment in which josh had realised exactly what this whole set up actually was, he'd known that it would be somewhat awkward.

and though he'd internally cursed the idea of having to spend his whole evening suffering through those chill-inducing glares and watching tyler flirt endlessly with the devil from the front desk right in front of his face, he realised that perhaps that alternative would've been undeniably less uncomfortable than the actuality that the four of them really were being forced to suffer through. 

over an hour and a half into their 'double-date', and the younger was more than sure that he'd be able to count the amount of sentences said on maybe just his and brendon's hands alone, with next to none of those having left tyler's own lips, given that he had stubbornly resorted to doing nothing more that sitting back silently in his chair; uninterestedly swirling sloshes of red wine around in his glass, essentially ignoring all of jenna's gentle touches to his upper arm and her sad attempts at roping him into the conversation, and spending the majority of his time not so slyly watching josh and brendon's every move with a squint of those tempting eyes.

every soft graze of their hands, every shared gaze and every single brush of fingers against the younger's thigh had earned the two of them a scowl; the brunette's perfectly groomed brows furrowing with that admittedly adorable dimple between them and his nose scrunching up in a blatant display of his distaste. 

and when brendon had reached across the near-nonexistent gap between the two of them and traced his thumb tenderly across the blue-haired boy's bottom lip with a teasing smirk, in an all too familiar imitation of _that_ friday night?

tyler's knife had damn near gone straight through the table.

and suddenly, josh's earlier humorous vision of being stabbed violently with a steak knife, right there and then on the spot, didn't seem like such a far cry from reality after all.

but with every glass of wine knocked back, that had more or less been used simply as a way to fill the lingering dead air whenever conversation came to a standstill, those very glares had slowly became less and less intimidating; the slight blur in the younger's vision causing the fire in tyler's eyes to transform into one of warmth rather than scolding, and staining josh's cheeks with an unrelenting flush visible even in the hazy lighting of the low-hanging chandeliers. 

because apparently, escaping an undeniable desire for tyler joseph of all people was another thing josh would have to add to his list of near-impossible feats.

another of those near-impossible feats being the ability to focus on whatever the hell it was that jenna and brendon were talking about quietly across the table.

head fuzzy and his hearing zoned out of the conversation, josh's dazed mind could focus on only one thing; that one thing being the feeling of brendon's hand resting warmly against his thigh, and giving a soft squeeze every now and then in the way that left faint fingerprint shaped marks behind in the material of his pants.

and fuck.

he definitely wasn't _complaining_ about the feeling, but the part of him that was so tempted by the _other_ brunette just across the table that he couldn't help but crave his sturdier touch instead.

"..josh?" brendon called quietly in a catch of his attention, alongside another stroke of his thigh that damn near made him melt on the spot at the simple memory alone of his boss doing the exact same thing back when he was essentially sucking every ounce of oxygen from his lungs; the other man's near-whisper snapping the younger out of his daze and forcing him back into the firing line of the other couple's slightly concerned stares, "you doing okay, kid?"

"huh?" the blue-haired boy asked, gaze instantly snapping away from where it was distractedly trained on the sight of tyler's fingers drumming against the table with boredom, in the very way in which he so often found himself hissing at josh for in the office, and instead meeting the older man's coffee-coloured eyes. "oh, _yeah.._ 'm fine.. s'just.."

"it's just that you've got him drunk," tyler interjected with another somewhat entertained eye-roll, his tone underlying with amusement at the sight of the tipsy younger boy and the incredibly candid call-out causing the glow that tinged his cheeks to burn even brighter to the point in which he felt as though they were on fire; his boss quirking an eyebrow in brendon's direction as he asked "that how you usually keep them interested? i know you played that card a lot in college but..  _damn,_ bren."

snapping her head around to face him with another of her countless pointed glares, jenna asked bitterly "oh, so you do know how to speak?"

"shut the fuck up," brendon groaned in return, loud enough to catch the attention of a displeased couple seated at the table only paces away from them and to earn another scowl from the interrupted blonde, as he dramatically threw his head back and turned to shift his focus back onto josh instead. lips curving up into a wolfish grin and his voice dropping to a low murmur, he hummed "i don't think joshie here would've called _me_ first if he wasn't interested.. right, kid?"

really, josh wanted to argue that he had only made the split-second decision to call the brunette in light of his brewing resentment for tyler, but to say he wasn't attracted to the other man at least a little would've been a lie.

and he really didn't want to give his boss the satisfaction of being right, as always.

no fucking way.

"mhm.." josh hummed in a vague show of agreement, only hoping that the waver in his voice, caused by a combination of dishonesty and overwhelming nerves, didn't show and shooting one last, somewhat dazed glance in the direction of his seemingly unconvinced boss before leaning across his chair to messily smack his lips against brendon's own; trying to ignore the sudden wave of dizziness and the clumsy bump of their noses to instead focus on the newfound taste of chocolate and remnants of the bitter wine that attacked his tongue.

it wasn't sweet honey and cigarette smoke, but it'd have to do.

holding back the whine threatening to slip past his lips, the blue-haired boy pulled back with another quick peck; his cheeks overwashed with that all too familiar burning sensation, induced both from the lingering taste of brendon on his lips and the feeling of tyler's somewhat possessive, and openly angered gaze lingering over him as the table fell back into it's deafening silence once more.

shattered only by the sound of a resounding slam against the table, and the forceful creak of his boss' chair against the wooden floor.

"where the hell are you going?" jenna demanded, her own artificially sweet voice laced with enough bitterness to match the expression on her face; annoyance painting itself across her features in the form of downturned lips and a glare almost as icy as the shade of her bright eyes.

"to fucking smoke," tyler snapped without even a falter in his steps; his raspy bark, as always, sending a shiver down the younger's spine, "is that a problem?"

apparently the answer was not one he cared to hear though, for the older man had disappeared behind the glass doors before josh could even let out the breath he'd been holding.

" _jesus christ,_ kid," brendon laughed almost breathlessly with a low whistle; running the hand that'd previously been settled on the blue-haired boy's thigh back through his hair with a slight ruffle, in a way that was admittedly attractive and damn near made josh swoon a little in his seat. with a swipe of his tongue across his bottom lip, the brunette marvelled in shock, "dude, you know you've pushed it when you get _joseph_ to swear.. don't you think you should go and-"

"yeah, _yeah.._ i'll go and uh.. y'know.."

"just.. _be careful,_ josh."

~

as always, like the obedient puppy he was with an inability to be anywhere but hot on the heel of his unfairly handsome crush, josh was at the older man's side again within minutes despite the occasional drunken stumble along the way; both jenna and brendon left behind in the dust, his exposed forearms covered in goosepimples from the sudden brush of cold air and a whiny apology already beginning to form on his tongue.

tyler may not have deserved any form of an apology, given that he'd essentially been doing the exact same thing with jenna this whole time, but josh just couldn't help but to submit under his domineering stare.

untrusting of his own voice to not pathetically break mid-plea as he cautiously approached from behind, josh lowered his voice to a whisper. "mr. joseph, i-"

"you drive me crazy, kid.." the brunette huffed, leaning back against the painted brick wall of the restaurant and settling the cancerous stick back between his bitten lips; his voice low and laced with lust in that damn near sinful way that muffled his words ever so slightly around the cigarette, "you know that?"

fuck.

often, the expectations of his overly romantic mind and undeniably hopeful heart left him disappointed with the reality he received when it came to being alone with tyler joseph, with the older man typically resorting to crushing the blue-haired boy's fantasies with a simple roll of his eyes or a sudden change of direction, so he definitely wasn't expecting _those_ words to be the first to leave tyler's lips.

not that he was complaining.

and maybe it was because of the influence of that fifth glass of wine he'd knocked back less than 10 minutes ago, or maybe it was because he was still slightly high on the rush of having an extremely attractive man's lips pressed wetly against his own, but the sudden wave of confidence that washed over him was all josh had been craving since this whole fiasco had begun.

"then why d'you never do anything about it?" josh questioned in a low murmur, tilting his head in the older man's direction and stepping forward to close the gap between them with only a slight slur in his words; their chests just a singular beat away from touching. "'cause it's starting to drive me crazy too."

with a single, blissed out flutter of those eyelashes, tyler turned his head to the side; blowing out a swirl of the toxic smoke in the opposite direction of the younger's face with a sigh, before he answered in an ambiguous hum, "now isn't the time _or_ place to talk about it, joshua."

dazedly watching the brunette tap away the ash of his half-finished cigarette against the wall, he nuzzled closer regardless of tyler's dismissal; daringly resting his head against the older man's chest so closely that josh could feel the beats of the heart he had once assumed to be nonexistent, and blurting out his next spew of alcohol-induced, verbal vomit before he could even attempt to clamp his mouth shut.

"..i've wanted you to fuck me from the second i first saw you."

god damn his boozed-up brain.

traitor. 

chest jostling the blue-haired boy lightly as he let out a breathy laugh, in a heart-warming sound josh had never heard fall from his boss' pouted lips before, and those very lips quirking up into an amused smirk, tyler reached with his free hand to tilt the younger's head upwards and locked their gazes upon each other; his thumb softly tracing the curve of josh's jaw as he tsked teasingly, "i think you've had too much to drink."

"can y'just kiss me again already?" the younger whined, clear impatience underlying his tone as he boldly looped his shivering arms around tyler's neck and pushed closer; lips brushing against the brunette's own with his next whisper, ".. _please?"_

tossing the remainder of his smoke to the floor and putting it out with one practiced twist of his heel, tyler immediately snaked his own arms around the other boy's waist; palms pressing into the dip at the small of his back and tugging him closer in a singular, swift move that locked their lips together once more. 

and damn.

nothing else mattered.

nothing but the taste of fresh cigarette smoke and honey and remnants of red wine filling his mouth, the scent of woodsy aftershave intoxicating his senses, the feeling of his heart damn near bursting through his chest, the feeling of silky soft lips slotting perfectly into place against his own and the feeling of soothing fingers tracing the lines of his spine in the most whimper-inducing way.

breaking for only a split second to catch his stolen breath, with a biting tug of the brunette's bottom lip, josh purred in what was more of a demand than a question, "take me home with you?"

"of course, kitten."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i don't know if i like how this chapter turned out because it feels like it's written weirdly and i suck at writing anything that involves more than two characters at once but i honestly never like what i write and i'm too impatient to keep trying to rewrite it honestly so.. enjoy


	10. ten.

sure, josh had foolishly listened to demands of his heart once more and taken an almost immediate interest in tyler joseph right from the second he had shifted his gaze upon the damn attractive asshole, as he'd embarrassingly and somewhat drunkenly admitted to his face less than 24 hours ago, but as of late he’d slowly begun to lose hope in ever actually experiencing his all too frequent fantasy of ending up in bed with the brunette.

so waking up in that very position was, of course, a slight shock to the system.

one arm tossed across a noticeably toned, tattooed chest and his face buried into the crook of a warm neck, with the faint feeling of stubble brushing against his skin, the blue-haired boy instinctively nuzzled closer in his still drowsy state; soaking up the somewhat intoxicating scent of pine and vanilla, intertwined with a hint of cigarette smoke, that’d became gladly familiar without a care for how on earth he'd ended up there.

he definitely wouldn't have any complaints if that were how he were to wake up every morning from then on, josh sleepily decided.

only when the older man shifted ever so slightly beneath him with a quiet hum, the strong hand that'd previously been resting on his bare back slipping down to instead wrap about his hip in an almost possessive hold, did the younger suddenly fall back into full consciousness; his eyes snapping open with a slight squint at the blinding light peeking through the gap in the curtains and his body automatically tensing slightly against his boss' own in awe.

though waking up half-naked and with the older man's arm wrapped tightly around his waist was admittedly startling, what wasn't surprising at all was that tyler joseph was just as unfairly handsome even when he was sleeping.

if not, more so.

his soft, chestnut hair all ruffled against his pillow with particularly longer curls falling in every direction, ridiculously long eyelashes fluttering against his skin every now and his plumped and so obviously kiss-stained lips parted ever so slightly with each gentle rise and fall of his chest, that damn near lulled josh back into his own dreamless sleep as he watched on with hazy eyes; the most eye-catching feature of all though being the freshly bruising hickey staining the underside of the brunette's jaw in a mixed shade of rosy pinks and deep purples, that the younger could only assume was a result of his own desperate lips during whatever had gone down between the two of them during the night.

maybe he wouldn't admit it, but josh really did feel a breath-taking rush of adoration at the swoon worthy sight alone.

but what he _would_ be willing to admit, was that it was slowly but surely getting harder and harder to even attempt to deny the crush that'd been there all along.

fuck.

his ogling, and what was possibly the beginning of an internal crisis, was disturbed, however, when the older man's raspy voice filtered into the quiet lull of the bedroom; laced with drowsiness and telling of the way his lips lazily curved up at the corners as he repeated some of the very first words ever spoken to the blue-haired boy. 

"hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to stare?"

cheeks instantly flushing with embarrassment, almost as deep of a shade as the unmissable lovebite tainting tyler's slightly tan skin, at being so easily caught out in the midst of his infatuation despite the fact that his gaze was yet to see the light of day, josh simply dismissed the remark with an amused murmur, "you didn't even open your eyes.. dude, that's creepy as hell."

"says the one watching me sleep," the brunette retorted slyly without so much as missing a beat, the teasing undertone being undeniable within his words as his eyes slowly fluttered open and instantly peered down at the younger boy; his gaze tempting and filled with warmth in the way that josh was so unused to seeing. "you're far too predictable, joshua."

"shut up."

not wanting to give tyler the opportunity to fire back with a no doubt smug smirk or witty comment that rendered him speechless once more, josh tilted his head upwards and captured the older man's lips in a surprisingly tender kiss; uncaring of his morning breath that was still tinged with the bitterness of booze as the brunette's tongue swiped across his bottom lip in sync with the tightening of tattooed arms around his waist.

a warm chest pressed against his own and stubble scratching at his chin and a featherlight exhale of air from tyler's nose brushing across his skin - it was heavenly.

so heavenly in fact that josh considered the possibility that maybe, just _maybe_ , his boss really had brutally murdered him in a blind fit of rage back in the restaurant, and that this was simply a fantasy of sorts; his own glorious version of heaven.

with a final brush of his now glistening lips against the blue-haired boy's own, followed by another claiming peck to the corner of his mouth, the brunette hummed with a tired smile, "someone's eager."

head instantly ducking down with a wave of bashfulness at the teasing words, josh buried his face back into the comfort of the crook of the older man's neck with a barely audible huff; the burning sensation of his blushing cheeks being lost against the warmth of his boss' bare skin as he relaxed into the feeling of gentle fingers tracing aimless patterns along his back.

"last night.." the younger began in an almost nervous whisper, his words subdued where his lips were smushed just above tyler's collarbones, "did we.. uh.."

and sure, there was a tiny part of him that wanted the answer to be yes, given that all he'd been craving since day one was exactly that, but an even bigger part of him was desperately praying for the answer to be no.

because to lose that possible memory to his unfairly low alcohol tolerance would surely be the ultimate peak of his seemingly never-ending bad luck.

"sleep together?" the brunette rasped in completion of josh's vague question, despite the fact that zero confirmation was needed regarding what exactly it was that the blue-haired boy was hinting towards; the combination of that gravelly, sleep-ridden morning voice and the looming anticipation of an answer only serving to spark an outburst of goosepimples along every inch of his exposed upper body. resting his head atop of the younger's own and stilling in his movements, tyler continued in an amused murmur, "don't worry, we didn't.. you weren't in the right frame of mind. although you did spend the whole ride back here attacking my neck, you fell asleep within seconds of claiming my bed for the night."

thank _god_.

an embarrassed groan falling from his lips as he tugged at them anxiously in the way he was usually so scolded for, josh rambled quietly "god.. i.. i'm _so_ sorry, that's like.. ridiculously-"

"joshua, it's fine," the older man interrupted, a reassuring kiss being pressed into faded blue curls and the unseen smile on his pouted lips being noticeable within the fondness laced within his next words. "it was surprisingly.. _endearing_." 

yeah.

tyler joseph was definitely going to be the death of him one day, josh decided. 

"being endearing isn't a free pass though, _kitten_.. and i'd still like my morning coffee." 

"are you being serious?" the blue-haired boy quizzed in a breathy, almost unbelieving laugh as he shifted to sit up slightly in the bed; crossed arms holding himself up against tyler's tattooed chest and an eyebrow quirked in his direction as he scanned his boss' somewhat entertained expression; the brunette already appearing to be falling back into his sleepy persona with an inaudible yawn and a flutter of those hooded eyes.

"completely."

"asshole."

~

less than five minutes later, after stealing both another round of fleeting kisses and one of the older man's slightly oversized hoodies that was more or less drowning the younger in that scent that he adored so greatly, and following his vague and confusing instructions on how to navigate the damn mansion of a house, josh found himself standing in front of the coffee machine nestled into the corner of the unsurprisingly impressive and expensive-looking kitchen; one mug in hand and another settled beneath the machine itself as he fumbled with the electronic buttons clumsily. 

this was definitely _not_ how he'd imagined his morning would be spent, but josh couldn't even fathom building a complaint on his tongue when tyler joseph's own had been pressed against it only minutes earlier. 

god damn.

“.. _daddy?_ ”

the sudden, unexpectedly sweet and unfamiliar voice cutting through the quiet lull of the kitchen, and the blue-haired boy's infatuated train of thought, damn near made josh’s heart stop right there and then in his chest; the muscle practically pounding into overdrive against his chest and a sudden wave of alarm causing his stomach to drop sickeningly.

fingers instantaneously tightening around the handle of the mug and his head whipping around so swiftly that he could’ve easily convinced himself that the lingering dizziness was the cause of exactly what it was he was seeing, the younger was met with the sight of the very last thing he would’ve expected to see anywhere within the vicinity of tyler joseph.

irrefutably familiar fawn-eyes, yet wider and glassier and lacking the usual fiery glare, those very same silky brown curls in an adorable mess of bed hair and an almost identical little pixie nose, tinted a rosy pink shade at the tip.

a tiny human that barely reached the height of his thighs stood shyly in the arched doorway, nibbling at the ear of a beaten-down stuffed bunny and looking like an unmistakable clone of the brunette himself.

god _fucking_ damn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you thought i was going to give you smut? tyler is a good boy who doesn't sleep with other under the influence boys
> 
> but  
> IM SORRY IF THE LACK OF SMUT DISAPPOINTED ANYONE! (I just hope the fluff and the little plot twist make up for it)
> 
> I'm also sorry that this chapter is pretty short compared to usual, but it had to be done for plot reasons. 
> 
> all will be explained in the next chapter, and I promise that you'll get your long awaited smut within the next couple of chapters.   
> love you all ♥️


	11. eleven.

_god fucking damn._

when josh has first begun fantasising about somehow waking up in tyler joseph's bed of all places, he'd admittedly ran through a range of those very daydreams in which he'd encountered some form of surprise, given that there was absolutely no way such a private person couldn't have at least _one_ hidden secret; maybe a sweet and unsuspecting wife of his wandering around the house, completely unaware of the ongoing disloyalty of her jackass of a husband, or maybe even a damn red room like christian fucking grey, which would've been seemingly fitting for the older man's personality, but he definitely hadn't considered _this._

not even once.

but there was no doubt about it that there really was a child, an unbelievably adorable and undeniably tiny tyler, stood only mere steps away from him with a unwavering gaze that more or less mirrored the blue-haired boy's own; something between curiosity and more than slight confusion.

a deer in the headlights seemed all too fitting of a description for both of them right there and then.

mugs abandoned on the worktop and the task at hand forgotten about almost instantly, josh crouched down to the tiny human's height with a forced swallow of the nerves practically crawling up his throat; one hand reaching up to twist the drawstrings of tyler's hoodie in distraction as he fumbled out in a hushed greeting, "hey.. _little one._ don't be scared, okay?.. i, uh.. i'm josh."

"daddy's friend?" the brunette asked sweetly, voice muffled around the soggy ear of the bunny still tucked between his lips and his head tilting quizzically in a way that was all too familiar. 

"yeah," josh confirmed without second thought and a nod of his head, despite the fact that he really couldn't verify exactly what he was to his boss at this point, given their constant back and forth and the still somewhat unclear situation they'd found themselves in less than an hour prior, " _daddy's friend._ "

but fuck, he really shouldn't be referring to tyler joseph as daddy.

especially not when that unforgettable image was still lingering in the back of his mind; the image of a shirtless tyler sprawled out lazily between the stark white sheets, tanned and surprisingly tattooed chest damn near glowing under the early morning sunlight, silky curls ruffled messily against his pillow and that raspy morning voice oozing from his pouted lips in the way that made the younger consider dropping to his knees and-

_nope._

definitely not the right time.

clearing his throat as if it would also somehow clear his mind of those not so pg thoughts, josh asked "what's your name, dude?"

"max," he hummed with another inquisitive blink of his bambi-eyes, the chewed-up ear dropping from between the brunette's lips as he padded across the tiled floor to close the remaining gap between them and flickered his gaze between josh's own and the few odd strands of faded blue hair peeking out from beneath the hood of his boss' black sweatshirt.

with another understanding nod, and maybe a slight inner swoon at the sweetness that he'd deny should anyone ask, josh pointed towards the cartoon adorning the kid's t-shirt with a warmhearted smile tugging at his lips, "sick name, and sick pyjamas too.. captain america is _awesome,_ best avenger out there."

and maybe, josh realised, he should've been a hell of a lot more concerned by this new revelation than he currently was, but worrying about the logistics of how and when and why and what exactly it meant for him and the older man was damn near impossible when someone _that cute_ was staring him down with those same warm eyes that the blue-haired boy had been a sucker for right from the very start.

"daddy always says iron man is the bestest," max informed, shaking his head and scrunching up his tiny pixie-nose in clear distaste for the opposing opinion, before continuing with a flash of a grin in the younger's direction; one of faint dimples and adorably overcrossed bottom teeth, that josh assumed would mirror tyler's own if the older man were to ever sport anything other than a stressed scowl. "but now you're the bestest.. better than daddy."

 _of course,_ the brunette's favourite avenger was the arrogantly, narcissistic millionaire. 

self-conceited asshole.

"daddy's not very smart then, huh?" the blue-haired boy teased with a matched grin, quirking a quizzical eyebrow in the tiny human's direction and making an attempt to ignore the way his cheeks ridiculously began to flush their usual rosy shade at just how enamoured he was already becoming with yet another joseph.

so much for not getting attached.

fuck.

"nu-uh."

and sure, josh would've happily spent the rest of his morning sat cross-legged on his boss' kitchen floor, bonding with the older man's heart-meltingly adorable and somewhat of a mystery mini-me, but the sudden resounding beep of the coffee machine cutting through the quiet air of the room reminded him that there was still a no sugar, no cream, black coffee to be delivered and more questions than he could even begin to count on one hand to be answered.

and it'd have to be done sooner rather than later.

"lets go and wake him up, yeah?"

~

when josh had woken up in his boss' bed that morning, half-naked and with nothing more than a slightly hazy memory of their friday night and a warm arm wrapped almost possessively around his waist, he'd naively assumed that the rest of his morning would've gone some way similar to those unfairly unrealistic rom-coms that he so often referred back to; with a flurry of sleepy kisses and embarrassed apologies evolving into a lazy rendezvous beneath the sheets, followed by breakfast cooked by the brunette himself with another round of syrupy sweet kisses as the younger sat by on the counter and watched on with an infatuated gaze.

but as his bad luck would have it, his idealistic fantasy was far from their reality.

and what josh certainly wouldn't have been able to predict, was that he'd instead be anxiously stood in the doorway of the older man's bedroom; one hand wrapped around a freshly-brewed, steaming mug of black coffee just like every other day of his life, and the other holding, or more so engulfing, the smaller hand of the unsuspecting clone that'd damn near given him a heart attack only minutes prior.

he also had a feeling that patrick definitely wouldn't approve of this story.

tiny hand instantly tugging away from his own the second the older man was in sight, max was gone before the blue-haired boy could even blink; the silence of the bedroom being broken by the sound of socked feet pattering against the carpet, followed by a dull thud against the mattress in sync with a low and disapproving groan from beneath the sheets.

" _daddy,_ " the brunette squealed ear-piercingly, obviously uncaring of his father's resistant huffs as he tugged back the covers and flopped onto tyler's bare chest with a syrupy-sweet giggle; the cheerful calls of _daddydaddydaddy_ , that were far too chirpy for both such an early time in the morning and the spawn of a typically grumpy man, sounding on repeat as the kid pressed the nose of his ragged bunny across every inch of tyler's face in a mock of early morning kisses. 

and damn.

josh definitely felt his heart beginning to melt, right there and then on the spot.

"pup, stop," the familiarly husky voice groaned into the pillow, lazily looping one toned arm around max's tiny waist and tugging him down to lay beside him instead; a nuzzle of his nose into the little one's mussed up hair and a hitch of the sheets back over both of them silencing the loud giggles as he hummed tiredly, "s'quiet time.. go back to sleep." 

chubby finger jabbing tyler's cheek playfully in defiance of his demand, max beamed smugly with another flash of that toothy grin, "joshie said captain america was the bestest, and that you're stupid."

"..joshie?" the older man muttered in question with a rasp, clearly somewhat perplexed by his own son's words as his eyebrows furrowed slightly. still drowsy mind apparently attempting to catch up, his boss was hauntingly silent for a span of seconds that felt more like unbearable hours before the realisation appeared to finally hit him in full force; tyler damn near shooting-up in the bed, snapping his head in the blue-haired boy's direction and draining of all of the colour that his unfairly handsome face once held with a graceless stutter, ".. _josh_.. fuck."

up until now, dread had been an emotion unseen in tyler joseph's usually calm and collectedly cool stare, but just once glance at those panic-stricken eyes told the younger that perhaps he wasn't the only one facing endless bouts of bad luck as of late.

" _fuck._ "

yeah, fuck.

"thas' a naughty word, daddy," max scolded in a break of the near suffocating tension between the two of them that he was naively oblivious to; uncaring of the silent staredown between josh and his father as he practically jumped onto tyler's back from behind, tiny arms clinging around his neck and letting out another flurry of delighted squeals that made the older man flinch slightly.

biting down on his lip nervously, in a way that almost felt as if they'd switched positions for once, tyler whispered "look, i can explain-"

"i know how babies are made, dude," the younger snorted in dismissal, the somewhat amused sound intended to settle the worry painted across the brunette's face trailing off into a more relaxed sigh of his own; traipsing slowly across the room and crouching down just beside the bed, josh pleaded so faintly that it was almost a matched whisper "just please, promise me that i'm not some.. _homewrecker_ , or something."

of course, the answer he was praying for was that his boss really didn't have that once imagined unsuspecting wife somewhere out there, but it admittedly would've made things a hell of a lot easier, especially in terms of the whole 'getting out before it was too late'.

although one simply infatuated glance at the two undeniably adorable faces peering down at him told josh that it was already far too late.

"i promise," tyler sighed with a considerably relieved flutter of those long lashes; one hand reaching down to rest against the blue-haired boy's face and idly brushing his thumb across his cheekbone, he started, voice still laced with sleepiness and a newfound hint of repentance, "i'm sorry about.. _this._ it wasn't supposed to happen, i just.. i've had so much going on lately at the label that i guess i forgot it was my weekend to have him and he must've just gotten in really early this morning with his nanny, and normally it doesn't matter because people don't usually stay the night, but you-"

"tyler."

"you're different, joshua."

cheeks instantly flushing what josh assumed was a rosy shade of pink deep enough to make up for the lack of colour on the older man's own handsome face and damn near burning as hot as the bitter mug of black coffee still pressed into his palm, the younger flickered his gaze over to the little one briefly, who was now far more interested in playing with the tattered white bunny resting on his father's shoulder, and managed to murmur his next words calmly despite the wild fluttering of his heart against his chest. "what do you mean.. _different?"_

"his mother.. my college girlfriend.. she, uh.. left me when we were 24, for her boss," tyler began in explanation with a feigned scoff of amusement, eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly and a clear distaste for the topic at hand seeming to seep into his tone as he dropped his hold on the blue-haired boy's face and brushed the freed up fingers back through his bedhair with an anxious tug at a particularly long curl, "she was a couple of weeks pregnant with this one when it happened, and i thought she was my 'soulmate' and all of that other romanticised nonsense at the time, so it hurt.. _seriously,_ and i guess it.. put me off relationships completely, because if it couldn't work out with _her_ of all people, then it wasn't going to work with anyone. and i just.. fell into this pattern of sleeping with my assistants, and then breaking it off the second they started thinking it would turn into anything more, because i didn't want a repeat of _that._ "

voice dropping back down into his usual raspy murmur and his pouted lips quirking almost wistfully at the corners, the brunette concluded "..but you're different because i didn't _want_ you to leave last night, kid, or any night really.. even if i do want to strangle you sometimes."

it was definitely too late to leave with no strings attached now.

god damn.

"you would've had a hard time getting rid of me anyway," josh smirked, somewhat smoothly considering just how flustered his boss' breathy words left him every damn time, " _daddy._ "

"don't you dare," the brunette groaned in exasperation with one of those all too familiar eye-rolls that the blue-haired boy appeared to always be the sole cause of, though the satisfied smirk still remained on his pouted lips as he reached down to lock firm hands on either side of josh's face once more; tugging him upwards with a muttered, "come here."

glossy fawn-eyes curiously peeking over tyler's shoulder once more and the ear of the peculiarly red-eyed bunny reclaiming it's place in his mouth, max tapped the older man lightly and asked in what was less of a whisper than intended, "are you gonna kiss joshie, daddy?" 

"yeah, i'm gonna kiss joshie," tyler smiled softly with a glance back at the tiny human, accompanied by that still unfamiliarly breathy laugh at the sight of the other brunette's bashfully scrunched up nose, "so i suggest that you look away now, pup." 

apparently not wanting to wait even a single heartbeat longer, the younger barely had the chance to let out his own entertained chuckle before long fingers were tangling in his faded curls and those perfectly soft, honey-tasting lips were pressed against his own in a kiss undoubtably sweeter than each of the others prior; the brushing of their noses, the feeling of the brunette smiling against him and the faint sound of the little one squealing with innocent disgust from beneath the sheets kickstarting the inescapable fall of his heart into a pit of love.

and yeah.

josh could _definitely_ get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things people probably don't care about but i want to share:
> 
> \- tyler calling josh 'kitten' and his son 'pup', sign me up  
> \- baby tyler was nameless until this chapter and he ended up being called max because i was watching catfish while writing parts of this  
> \- his pyjamas are captain america because captain america is the best avenger  
> \- i don't know if anyone noticed or picked up on it, but his toy bunny is supposed to be the hometown rabbit 
> 
> love you all ♥️


	12. twelve.

to say that josh hadn't began to fall hopelessly in love with not only tyler joseph, but also his endlessly adorable son, over the oddly familial weekend that they'd spent together would've been a complete and utter fucking lie.

and though there were a multitude of things that he still wasn't necessarily sure about, like exactly how he'd somehow managed to worm his way under the skin of the man who at first seemed to feel nothing but pure annoyance at the sight of the blue-haired boy's face alone, or where he stood right now with his boss given they the two of them appeared to be in an undetermined limbo of 'much more than co-workers' but 'not quite dating', there was one thing he was undoubtedly certain about.

and that was that he was unquestionably and unconditionally _fucked._

 _fucked_ because the unfairly handsome, asshole millionaire who he was all too infatuated with just so happened to be the same one who's looming public disclosure and possible downfall was very thing in which josh's whole goddamned life was depending on; his job, his livelihood, his apartment, everything, because without that story?

he had nothing.

_fuck._

but as with every other all too frequent setback and potentially destructive crisis in his seemingly cursed life, it was simply easier to push the thoughts of the inescapable disaster to the back of his mind because it definitely wasn't something josh wanted to be thinking about right there and then, especially not when he already had obstacles much more immediate to face; one of those very obstacles being sat only mere feet away from him as he walked into the office building that morning, in the form of icy blue eyes with a glare sharper than any tyler joseph had ever shot his way and usually smiling lips downturned into a harsh scowl.

he wasn't going to argue that he didn't deserve it, because he absolutely did, but that didn't in any way make the whole encounter less uncomfortable.

" _josh._ "

"...morning, jenna," the younger returned quietly, anxious grip on the cardboard coffee tray in his hand tightening and his gaze flitting just about anywhere other than her irked face; unmistakably more intimidating than the usual friendly aura she gave off, with a flash of that chirpy smile and an overly-enthusiastic good morning. 

usually, as was fitting for the receptionist role, the blonde reminded him of patrick; far too cheerful for the early mornings and annoyingly difficult to dislike, but right now? right now, she resembled more of a mirror image of pete instead, with that ever annoyed glower ruining her pretty features and damn near making josh want to sink into a hole in the ground.

"did you have a fun friday night?" jenna asked with a questioning tilt of her head, the bitterness in her tone practically oozing from her pursed lips, "you know, with _my_ runaway date."

voice wavering ever so slightly with nerves, josh sighed "look, jenna, i-"

"i just hope you know what you're getting yourself into with that asshole," she snapped in interruption, the seemingly empathetic undertone of her words far from being reflected within the look of venom painted across her face, though at this point, he had no idea whether it was primarily directed towards him or the brunette in question.

both of them would probably be the most appropriate answer, josh figured.

"brendon wasn't wrong when he said that all he cares about is sex, and _i heard him,_ josh.. i heard him tell you to be careful around tyler, and that's because as soon he's bored with you, he'll throw you out and replace you like he did with me, and then you'll lose your job, just like all of his other assistants."

god damn.

though part of him wanted to argue the fact that he was going to lose a job either way, whether it be his fraudulent personal assistant career or his shitty, under-paid journalist gig, he really didn't want to face that wholly unsettling reminder again so early in the morning, so instead settled for silence in response to the blonde's resentful rant; keeping his gaze pinned to the ground and only giving an nod of faux understanding in her direction. 

of course, josh didn't quite believe her words anyway, especially not after the supposed secrets his boss had almost shamefully confessed to him that morning and the continuously soft pecks that they'd shared in between max's embarrassed squeals, but the thought of maybe being nothing more to the older man than a worthless throwaway did admittedly send a dull ache through his chest.

though really, josh considered, it definitely would've been a deserved kick in the guts.

 _god,_ he was such an asshole for agreeing to pete's morally fucked scheme in the first place. 

the tables were definitely turning now.

"uh.. well thanks for the advice, or.. the _warning.._ i guess," the blue-haired boy shrugged in a break of the brewing tension, the sentiment almost as insincere as jenna's own feigned empathy as he began to back up from the front desk and in the direction of the elevator instead; just barely avoiding a collision with another unfamiliar blonde rushing through the foyer with a loud clack of her heels, "but i've really gotta go now, so.."

just once glance at the sleek, ticking clock above her desk confirmed exactly what josh had already suspected, and also suggested that maybe, just maybe, he'd be greeted with a much grouchier version of tyler joseph than the one that'd bid him goodbye on sunday afternoon, with a flash of the softened smile that had once seemed reserved for jenna only and a tender kiss to the top of his head.

perfect.

and now, for the first time since starting this mindless ploy, the short ride up to the office on the highest floor wasn't drowning in apprehension solely due to the worry of being barked at by the unfairly handsome brunette, because now that apprehension was overshadowed by a different kind of anxiety churning in the younger's stomach.

the kind of anxiety that came hand in hand with falling for someone that you were bound to hurt.

balancing the tray of hot drinks in one hand, attempting to not drop the strap of his bag slowly slipping from his shoulder and simultaneously fumbling with the door handle with the other, josh damn near fell into the pristine office with a quick save of the coffee cups and his gracelessness obvious in the look on his face; eyebrows furrowed in concentration and cheeks flushed their usual rosy shade when he looked up to meet the older man's watchful eyes.

"you're-"

" _-late,_ i know," josh finished breathlessly in interruption, eyes automatically rolling as he let out a quiet huff in a way that was all too similar to tyler's usual signal of annoyance, though his lips still quirked at the corners regardless in the beginnings of a faint smile, "but i didn't really think to stop and factor an extra five minutes into my schedule this morning to make time for a rant from the devil at the front desk."

"the devil at the front desk?" the brunette echoed, amusement lacing his tone as he quirked one perfectly groomed and somewhat quizzical eyebrow in josh's direction, so obviously holding back on a thing or two he had to say himself, "what did she say to you?"

he really should've known that his boss' curiosity as to which choice words had been exchanged between himself and the blonde, who was usually the one bent over the older man's desk, would've peaked the second that he mentioned it, but josh really wasn't sold on the idea of repeating the begrudging lecture.

not just for tyler's sake, but for his own too.

coherent thoughts and fathomable words seeming to die out under the pressure of that inquisitive gaze, the younger found himself unable to even formulate a somewhat convincing lie, instead tangling his free hand in the curls at the nape of his neck distractedly and faltering, "uh, not much.. just, y'know.. she just wasn't too happy.. about friday night, _obviously-_ "

"josh."

fingers instantly stilling in their anxious tugs and his stuttering falling silent at the cut-off low call of his name, josh flickered his innocent gaze directly to his boss, only to be met with a sight that he hadn't quite expected to translate back into the office, given the seemingly different persona that tyler tended to adopt whilst trapped in between the four white walls; the brunette's own gaze being warm once more and surprisingly soothing.

"don't let whatever she said get to you, okay?"

and _damn._

apparently tyler joseph could read him a lot better than he first thought, though he honestly wasn't sure whether that was such a good thing anymore.

"you just called me josh," the blue-haired boy stated instead in ignorance of the continuing jenna topic, a hint of bewilderment underlying in his quiet tone and his head tilting ever so slightly.

"i should hope so," the older man hummed; his hand reaching for a stray fountain pen tossed aimlessly beside his computer and his focus already back on the small stack of white papers littered across his usually immaculate desk, as his eyebrows furrowed to form that admittedly adorable dimple between them, "that is your name, after all."

"you never call me josh," he reiterated with a tugging bite of his bottom, padding quietly across the office and setting the tray of drinks down just out of the way of the important documents, "you only ever call me joshua."

work forgotten once more, tyler leaned back in his chair, head cocked to the side and his arms crossed over his chest in the way that made the material of his rolled up sleeves tighten and still managed to catch the younger's lust-driven attention ever damn time; even more so now that he'd seen what lay beneath, in the form of enticing inky black tattoos contrasting against his smooth, tanned skin.

"do you _want_ me to call you joshua?"

"i don't know, joshua sounds kind of.. _pretentious,_ " josh hummed with a teasing scrunch of his nose, dropping his bag to the floor and walking around the desk to hover just behind his boss; the sudden fire, seemingly ignited beneath the domineering gaze of the older man, sparking his confidence too as he leaned forward to playfully drape his arms over tyler's shoulder. fingertips brushing his chest lightly and lips grazing the slither of exposed skin just above his collar, the younger damn near purred his next syrupy-sweet words.

"..i do like hearing you call me kitten, though."

"oh, i know you do, joshua, you're not very subtle," the brunette drawled, seemingly unfazed by the flirtatious touches and the gush of hot breath against the back of his neck as his voice dropped down to its usual raspy tone, although the smirk tugging at his lips was undeniably evident within the lilt of his follow-up comment, "and as much as i'd love to entertain you, _kitten_ , i've got far too much work to do this morning."

and perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea to push the man who's personality was prone to change in a singular, split second, but josh daringly figured that they could both use the distraction right now.

resisting the way that his boss idly attempted to push forward out of his hold in a reach for the discarded pen, the blue-haired boy tightened his hold slightly with a stubborn whine; lips swooping to press against the warm skin of his neck with a constellation of tempting kisses, and another nip at the underside of his jaw where the bruising evidence of their friday night had yet to fade. 

with an considerably amused eye-roll gracing his handsome face, a faint sigh that almost felt like a white flag of surrender and his voice low, tyler hummed, "i think i'm already beginning to miss the days when you were too intimidated to even breathe within five feet of me."

sure, the brunette may still have intimidated him to an extent in the way that his low, gravelly voice and dark, desiring stares managed to leave josh as nothing more than a blushing mess with a slight stutter in his words almost every damn time, but it was difficult to be exclusively nervous around the older man when he'd witnessed him in actual daddy mode over the weekend.

the image alone of the older man playfully tossing a giggling max over his shoulder or soothingly running his fingers back through the little one's feathery hair as he slept against tyler's chest was more than enough to make the josh's heart swell zealously with infatuation.

and yeah.

he was _definitely_ falling in love.

fuck.

"get on your knees."

train of thought being lost the second tyler's explicitly murmured demand cut through the air, the blue-haired boy damn near choked on his own breath in what came out as more of submissive gasp, muffled against the his boss' neck; his heart thumping so loudly against his ribs that he was sure it was audible in the quiet lull of the office, and a wave of anticipation beginning to swirl in his stomach in a swift replacement of the bubbling anxiety that'd been there beforehand.

"..do you-"

" _now._ "

and of course, as was becoming an undeniable routine for the younger whilst within any distance of tyler joseph as of late, his obedient puppy personality didn't even allow him the chance to teasingly question the order; josh almost instantly loosening his hold and instead shuffling silently to kneel in the empty space on the floor just between the brunette and his desk, and attempting to ignore the burning flush washing over his cheeks.

"look at me," tyler whispered huskily, despite the fact that his hand was already resting beneath the younger's chin and tilting his head upwards, to forcefully train josh's longing gaze on quite possibly the most intoxicating sight that he'd witnessed to date.

his boss, sprawled lazily back in his chair, eyes seeming even darker than usual from below with each lazy flutter of those long lashes and hazy with a combination of lust and possession, and the fingers of his free hand already finessing the zipper of his tight-fitting slacks.

thumb tenderly brushing across josh's parted lips, in what seemed to be becoming his signature move of seduction, the brunette continued with a taunting click of his tongue, "i think we need something to keep those pretty, _pretty_ lips of yours occupied.. don't you?"

a gentle catch of the older man's thumb between his teeth and a eager nod was apparently the only coherent response the younger could supply.

with a flash of the satisfied smirk that he'd came to adore and a soothing brush of warm fingers through faded blue curls, tyler added "we have a meeting in 10 minutes with some of my most important business partners, so i suggest that you get a move on unless you want them to catch you like this, kitten.. got it?"

"yes, sir."

"perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the cursed, kind of plotless, kind of boring chapter.  
> love you ♥️


	13. thirteen.

it was safe to say that josh certainly hadn't intended to become as close to tyler joseph as he had over the passing month.

he hadn't intended to spend every single lunch break sat in the older man's lap, blushing at the teasing words murmured lowly in his ear and letting the slow kisses along the column of his neck wash away the thoughts of his real job slowly creeping up into the forefront of his mind. he hadn't intended to spend what was slowly becoming all of his free time in the comfort of his boss' damn near mansion, pressing fleeting kisses to the brunette's cheek as he cooked meals for the two of them and soothingly playing with his hair in bed late in the evenings, when tyler worked away tiredly on his laptop. and he definitely hadn't intended to become so undeniably attached to the little one who made his occasional weekend appearances, tugging curiously at the younger's faded blue curls with a giggle and forcing superhero action figures into his hands as they sat together on the floor of the lounge, with tyler only watching on out of the corner of his eye with a smile.

he was well and truly fucked.

although he couldn't quite bring himself to regret falling so hard every single time he caught another glimpse of that warm smile, or heard another round of that breathy laugh that he'd grown to adore so greatly.

though really, josh figured, complete and utter regret should have been the only thing on his mind as he made his way up to the office of his _other_ stern-faced boss, with nothing but a pit of never-ending guilt festering in his stomach and a nervous flush biting at his cheeks; the rosy shade of his face only deepening, though out of embarrassment this time around, at the not so shocking sight he was met with upon stumbling into the dreaded room.

an equally flushed patrick sat amongst the endless clutter and loose papers of pete's desk; his hair a frenzied mess, glasses slightly crooked to one side and the older man resting between the brunette's legs with a seemingly unaffected expression painted across his own face, in a way that was unnervingly similar to tyler's own nonchalant stare.

and it definitely felt a little too familiar for comfort.

" _josh,_ " pete rasped with a tilt of his head and a flash of the closest thing he'd ever seen to a smile on the older man's face, swatting his boyfriend's thigh softly in a signal for him to move and settling back into his chair with a quiet thud as patrick attempted to discretely compose himself just out of eyesight, "long time no see."

"uh, yeah.. hey."

cocking an eyebrow in the younger's direction as he relaxed back into the leather of his seat, the brunette asked knowingly "something wrong?"

"i, uh.. i just wasn't expecting-"

"yeah, sorry about that," patrick interrupted with a sheepish smile, in what josh assumed was an attempt to simultaneously appease the lingering awkwardness that filled the air of the office and prevent the blue-haired boy from digging a hole deeper than necessary with his anxious rambling; fixing his glasses and taking one of the two seats just in front of the desk as he cleared his throat and shared a not so slick glance with his boyfriend. "i'm glad you're here though, joshie.. we're both glad you're here.. it's been quiet without you."

"yeah, i've kinda.. missed this place, i guess," the blue-haired boy remarked quietly as he took claim to the chair just beside pat, in what was a partial admission of truth, but also a partial lie.

honestly? he did miss patrick, and his shitty little personal office with the broken ceiling fan and the drool-worthy breakfast muffins that some chick called debby from publishing bought into the break room every friday morning, but none of that really compared anymore to his unfairly attractive, literal daddy of a boyfriend who also wasn't necessarily his boyfriend but damn near treated the blue-haired boy that way.

and as much as he hated himself for agreeing to pete's morally fucked scheme in the first place, part of him couldn't _not_ be thankful for where it had landed him.

"look, josh, i didn't call you back here to have a friendly chit-chat," pete dismissed bluntly, leaning forward across the desk and drumming the tips of his fingers against the wood almost impatiently - a move that set the younger on edge with the knowledge that the upcoming topic of conversation, one that he'd so badly wished to avoid, was about to hit him in full, unavoidable force. "what's going on? you've been out on this job for just under three months now, and i haven't heard a single thing back from you. _nothing."_

"pete-"

"i know i said no time limit, but _jesus,_ josh.." the brunette huffed, the usual annoyance that josh was all too familiar with making a return to the undertone of his voice and damn near wiping the beginnings of that unsuspected smile straight from his lips; both a quirked eyebrow and a stare of silent expectancy being shot in his direction.

sure, his fake boss turned fling had once been one of the most intimidating and anxiety-inducing men to exist, but damn.

he'd really forgotten what a hardass pete could be when he wanted to.

"you do have some stuff though, right joshie?" patrick encouraged quietly, with a show of one of his always reassuring smiles; the look on his face telling the younger that his input was intended to be helpful in diffusing the situation, but really only added extra fuel to the flames, given that there was no way he could lie openly about something that he'd already confessed to the other brunette.

forcing back a gulp, as if it would somehow force him to swallow the somewhat sickening rush of panic rising in his throat, and reaching up to the back of his neck to anxiously tug at the loose curls of unruly hair resting there, josh sighed with the only hope that the utter reluctance oozing from his tone wasn't noticeable to either of the other men. "i uh.. i mean.. _kind of?_ not like.. a fully finished article or whatever but i did start writing something last month and-"

"show me."

fuck.

he really should've known that his boss wouldn't let him get away with just the assurance alone that there was _something_ in the works, but naivety was apparently becoming an all to frequent feature of his personality, now that his mind was far too preoccupied was incessant thoughts of tyler joseph and unspoken declarations of love.

"uh.. i don't have it with me," the blue-haired boy confessed dishonestly, gaze flickering away from pete's own agitated stare and his stomach instantly twisting with nerves, almost as if his damn organs were being rearranged and toyed with mercilessly, at the sight of patrick's knowing look out of the corner of his eye. "i don't have my laptop with me."

tossing the pen in hand onto his desk with a clatter that cut through the silence, standing from the chair and snatching his jacket haphazardly tossed over the coat stand with a dissatisfied huff, the older man stalked out of the room with a roll of his eyes and a call over his shoulder. "if you want to keep your job, e-mail it to me by the end of the day. finished or not, i don't care."

_perfect._

holding back the urge to throw up the nauseating mixture of pasta salad and endless cappuccinos sloshing around in his stomach all over the carpet of the office, josh glanced over at patrick with a defeated sigh; face pressing into his hands and his distressed groan muffled against his palms, "your boyfriend is a serious asshole, pat."

he still had no idea how the two of them made it work with their laughably unmatched personalities.

"so is yours, apparently."

" _what?_ i-"

patrick scoffed in interruption of his oncoming protest, and reached across the short gap between the two of them with a roll of his eyes; his fingers tugging down the collar of the blue-haired boy's shirt ever so slightly to reveal the remainder of the half-hidden, blooming pink hickey staining his neck and quirking a challenging eyebrow at him. "what happened to not getting attached?"

as much as he loved patrick, another reminder of the messy, damn near death sentence that he'd gotten himself into with the older man was the last thing he wanted to hear, although he supposed avoiding the topic completely and getting out of there lecture-free would've been considerably easier had his burning cheeks not instantly given away what could've maybe been denied.

"i know, i'm an idiot.. _okay?"_ josh huffed, the remark coming out with more bitterness than originally intended, and ran his fingers back through his hair with a sigh; twirling one particularly long strand around his finger with an anxious tug and his eyes flickering just about anywhere other than his best friend's own with a sigh, "so if we could avoid the whole _'told you so'_ spiel for now, that'd be great."

"what are you gonna do?" the brunette asked, both his voice and his concerned gaze softening as the will to scold the blue-haired boy burnt out on the tip of his tongue.

"i've got no fucking idea."

~

maybe, josh considered, that coming completely clean about his original, morally fucked scheme before things could get substantially worse and damn near begging for the older man's forgiveness on his hands and knees if he had to would've perhaps been his easiest option this deep into the rabbit hole of deception that he'd dug like a grave. and he really, _really_ was ready to do it, with a rambled and panicked explanation already beginning to build itself in the back of his mind and a whiny apology already stinging his lips.

that was, until he came face-to-face with tyler joseph again; the black front door swinging open practically the second that his hand had touched the silver knocker to reveal his boss in all of his unfairly handsome glory, wearing a tight fitting white t-shirt that showed off the dark lines of his tattoos, a pair of loose fitting grey sweats, and with an excitable looking max clinging to his back and running a miniature toy car across his shoulder.

because just like that, the willpower and the words were gone.

god damn.

"joshie!"

"hey, dude," josh smiled, unable to stop his lips twitching up at the corners in response to the little one's squeal regardless of his current internal panic, before meeting tyler's own inviting gaze with a breathy greeting of his own. "hi."

with one hand steadying the brunette wiggling in his hold, the other reached out to tug the blue-haired boy forward into a fleeting peck; tyler's nose nudging the younger boy's own softly and his raspily murmured words brushing against josh's lips with a hint of a smirk. "i know it was supposed to be just the two of us tonight, but.. he'll be out like a light by 9 o'clock. trust me."

"no it's okay, i-i don't mind anyway," he stuttered out in a somewhat ungraceful assurance, flustered both by the suggestive undertone of his boss' words and the ever-growing pit of distress deep in the pit of his stomach, with a silent prayer that it went unnoticed by the older man. "you know i love spending time with him." 

and maybe, just maybe, he loved tyler joseph too, but those three words were unthinkable so long as he was still trapped in the web of deceit that he'd weaved around the two of them. 

"i thought you went home to get dressed," tyler murmured with a gentle furrow of his brows, and a sweep of his fingers along the length of the blue-haired boy's crooked tie, though the newfound warmth that the younger had been growing so used to seeing still remained in his hooded eyes; not a single hint of suspicion.

perhaps josh wasn't the only over-trusting and naive one after all.

"oh, yeah, i was going to but i got caught up in something after work.. with a friend, and didn't want to be late so.." josh rambled with only a slight waver in his mutter; sealing his laughably poor and almost questionable excuse with a half-smile and a nuzzle of his face into the crook of the brunette's neck in distraction.

clearly believing the explanation, or simply not caring to dig for further details, tyler hummed understandingly and reached down to press a kiss into his hair; the hand that'd been smoothing down the material of his tie shifting to instead comb through the baby curls at the nape of his neck. "go and change into something of mine.. food should be here soon."

and with another stolen kiss, that managed to induce yet another shriek of childlike disgust from the younger brunette, and an obedient nod like the submissive little puppy he was, but would always deny being, the blue-haired boy made a quick dash to his boss' bedroom, which is exactly where he was still hidden away little over ten minutes later; sat cross-legged on the king sized bed, drowning in the vanilla-scented material of the older man's hoodie and staring dejectedly at the half-written article lighting up his laptop screen.

he couldn't even bring himself to hover the cursor over the 'send as attachment' option without feeling as if he was going to faint. 

_fuck._

maybe, as they had with his choice of career path, his parents would've also scolded him for his next hasty and possibly mindless decision, but it wasn't even an internal debate anymore; sure, he'd originally committed to digging up the dirt on the millionaire and putting it out there for the world to see, but that had been before all of _this._

before he fell stupidly in love with tyler joseph.

slamming his laptop shut in riddance of the taunting article and tugging his phone out of the pocket of the older man's sweater, josh opened up patrick's contact with zero hesitance; his fingers tapping across the screen speedily with a flurry of text messages before he could even consider beginning to talk himself out of it.

 **to: patrick** **7:21 PM**

dude

**to: patrick 7:21 PM**

do i have to give two weeks notice before i quit? if i do, this is it.

**to: patrick 7:21 PM**

if not i quit anyway i guess.. unless pete wants to fire me instead but i just

**to: patrick 7:22 PM**

i can't do it

**to: patrick 7:22 PM**

i'll call you tomorrow or something

**to: patrick 7:22 PM**

sorry

barely even being given the chance to wallow in exactly what it was that he'd just done, on a somewhat careless and split-second decision, the tense silence of the bedroom was shattered by the approaching sounds of chirpy and incoherent babbling; max's blushing face, now accompanied by the soggy-eared white rabbit stuffie, peering around the doorframe only seconds later with a shy smile.

"pizza's here, joshie."

~

tiny grease and sauce-covered fingers waving the final slice of pizza in tyler's face with a flash of his toothy grin, max asked "do y'want it, daddy?"

"it's okay, pup, you can have it," tyler smiled in response as he reached up to press a quick kiss to the tip of the little's one tiny nose, the hand already wrapped around the brunette's waist for support stretching to tickle his pudgy tummy in elicitation of a syrupy-sweet giggle; chin resting on max's shaking shoulder and a sly wink being shot in josh's direction, with a twist of his endeared smile into one of those all too familiar teasing smirks, his boss hummed "daddy's saving room for dessert."

cheeks instantaneously flushing a dark, rosy shade that seemed to be a constant around tyler joseph nowadays and his breath catching in his throat to the point of damn near choking on his own mouthful of cheesy bread at the flirtatious suggestion, the younger barely even had the chance to recover from his faint splutter before the other brunette's innocent voice was piping up again.

"but you said tha' we didn't have any cake, daddy," he pointed out with a furrow of his eyebrows, voice muffled around the slice stuffed into his mouth and his nose scrunching up in naive confusion.

attempting to ignore both the blatant burning of his face and the unrelenting feeling of the older man's possessively smug gaze running over him, josh simply dismissed the tease with a roll of his eyes and an amused mutter. "you're a pain in the ass, you know that?"

big bambi-eyes flickering over to the blue-haired boy with a curious blink, max asked sweetly "what'sa pain in the ass, joshie?"

"your daddy," josh answered easily, with a snort of disbelief at the look of mock offence that flashed across the older man's face; working to stack up their barely used plates on the breakfast bar and reaching out to ruffle the younger brunette's already messy curls with a smile as he passed by the two of them, "he's definitely a pain in _my_ ass."

maybe, josh contemplated, that was the wrong choice of words to use, given that his mind was instantly filled with a litany of inappropriate images of himself and the older man; visions of tyler joseph shirtless, in all of his tanned and tattooed glory, hovering over him with a flash of that crooked smirk and a flutter of those lust-lidded eyes, strong hands digging into his thighs and pinning his wrists above his head with a growl, repeated raspy purrs of _'kitten'_ low in his ear as he got fucked into the mattress.

but god damn.

those kind of thoughts were definitely _not_  ones he should've been having when there was a five year old watching him intently, one of which would no doubt be jumping into his lap anytime soon as part of the little one's usual routine of playing with strands of josh's faded blue hair whilst rambling about his favourite colours.

apparently though, he wasn't the only one having those badly-timed, provocative thoughts.

observant as ever, or perhaps just unreservedly aware of the effect that his suggestive remarks had on the blue-haired boy every damn time, tyler's only response was a self-satisfied smile and a husky murmur of "hopefully."

and that definitely didn't help the situation, or ease up on the blush of the younger's cheeks that made it feel as if his whole face was on fire.

"pain in the ass, pain in the ass," max chanted, endearingly oblivious to the not so pg topic of conversation and clearly pleased with his newfound vocabulary, alongside a series of high-pitched giggles and slaps to his father's chest, "daddy's a pain in the ass."

free hand reaching up to cover the little one's mouth and concealing his squeals, with a bite of his bottom lip to stifle his own breathy laughter, tyler softly chided, "don't say that around mommy, okay, pup? or we'll both be in trouble."

with an obedient nod and another show of that heart-meltingly angelic grin, one of adorably over-crossed teeth and tiny dimples on pink cheeks, he added in a quiet mumble against the brunette's fingers, "c'n we have dessert now?"

"let's make a deal.. if you go and get your pyjamas on now, all by yourself, then you can watch a movie with me and joshie before bedtime  _and_ i'll get you a bowl of ice-cream for dessert," the older man reasoned with a brush of his fingers back through his son's feathered hair, and quirking a quizzical eyebrow at him, "sound good?"

"with chocolate sauce?"

"with chocolate sauce."

widened doe-eyes glinting with enthusiasm at the apparent deal-maker of chocolate sauce covered ice-cream, max was jumping up from his seat in tyler's lap within seconds, much to his father's amusement, and scurrying out of the room before josh could so much as blink in his direction; the only sound fading off into the distance being the patters of itty-bitty feet against the tiled-flooring.

and if the blue-haired boy thought that he'd been nauseatingly flustered beforehand, thanks to tyler joseph and his effortless advances, then he was a damn fool and really should've known that there was no limit to how far the older man could push him; his stomach instantly dropping at the feeling of strong arms snaking around his waist and a wash of warm breath tickling his neck as the brunette practically purred his next words.

"don't get all shy on me now, joshua." 

plates being abandoned on the counter, josh turned in his boss' hold to face him instead; instantly melting into tyler's touches at the uttered pet name alone and firing back with his own surprisingly confident and unwavering question, given the fact that it felt as if his heart had suddenly crawled up into his throat, "did you really just trick your own kid into leaving for a few minutes so that you could grope me?"

not that he really minded, of course.

because, he figured, only a certifiably insane person would be able to find any form of complaint in the feeling of tyler joseph's knee nudging their thighs apart, or his plump lips ghosting against the curve of their jaw, or damn near drowning in his intoxicating scent of black coffee and vanilla and hazy cigarette smoke.

he was so fucking perfect.

the aura of warmth, though, was lost within seconds and a needy whine fell from josh's lips against his own will as the brunette backed up with a smirk; hands raised in the air in a signal of mock surrender with a nonchalant hum, "if you've got a problem with that, i can just.." 

asshole.

reaching out to grab at the material of the older man's t-shirt with a pout, josh tugged him forwards without second thought and crashed their lips together with a wet smack; disregarding both the way his back achingly hit the marble counter and the way tyler's breathy laugh filled his mouth, no doubt pleased with the desperate response he always managed to draw from the younger boy, because it was damn near impossible to think of anything other than _tylertylertyler._  

impossible to process anything other than the broad hands pressing into the underside of his thighs and hitching him up onto the countertop, or the tongue flicking against his own with a practice that left him weak in the knees, or even the unexpected growl low in his ear when the two of them split with equally swollen and slicked-up lips.

"just wait until tonight.." tyler muttered, voice husky and utterly swoon-worthy as his fingers curled around the blue-haired boy's hips in possesion, "i'm gonna make you _mine,_ kitten."

yeah.

tyler joseph was _definitely_ worth quitting his job for.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long - after i last updated, i had a week where i was pretty much only at home to sleep and when i finally did get some time to write, i wanted to work on wildflower first because it was long overdue an update but now i'm here!


	14. fourteen.

there were a lot of things josh would consider difficult in life, like not adopting every last kitten he passed by in pet stores or walking past homeless people with sad-eyed dogs on the street when he was rushing to work, but apparently, nothing compared to spending a night with tyler joseph. at least, not when he was intent on spending the whole two and a half hours of the avengers movie, that max had predictably decided upon watching, slyly teasing the younger boy to the point of wanting to scream the whole damn house down.

every brush of fingers through his hair and every squeeze of his upper thigh and every teasing murmur low in his ear whenever the younger brunette was distracted by the awe of action on the flatscreen had felt like torture, even more so with tyler's promise still ringing in the back of his mind on a constant, almost taunting repeat.

and as much as he wished he hadn't, josh really had at one point shamelessly considered just saying 'fuck it' and sticking his hand down his own shorts right there and then out of pure frustration; a frustration which he'd expressed to the older man through one singular, all too familiar groan the second the two of them were alone again in the confines of his bedroom just as soon as the little one had fallen asleep.

"you're such a fucking asshole."

"that's no way to speak to your boss, joshua," tyler countered cooly, despite the smirk on his lips being undeniably evident within the teasing lilt of his tone, as he closed the gap between the two of them; hands reaching out for the blue-haired boy's hips and tugging him closer.

"i don't think half of the things you say to me are appropriate to say to an employee either," josh countered with a contemplative hum, one eyebrow quirking as if to challenge the brunette to even attempt to deny that very fact.

because really, their relationship was far from appropriate.

he hadn't researched exactly what the rules and laws regarding a boss and employee relationship were, although he probably should have, but josh had a feeling that leaving the office every day with some form of new mark on your body and regularly sucking off your boss under his desk whilst he was mid-conference call violated some form of code of conduct.

"as if you're complaining," the brunette muttered against the skin of his neck with a nudge backwards until the backs of the younger's legs were hitting the silky fabric of the bedsheets; both sending a shiver of need down his spine and washing away any urge left to even attempt to spite his boss' self-satisfied comment.

"can you just shut up and kiss me already?"

and apparently, no further begging was necessary, given that those silky lips were crashing against his own with barely even a second to catch his breath; cool fingers snaking beneath the material of his sweatshirt to brush against the lines of his stomach, stubble scratching against his skin and the older man's still ice-cream tainted tongue swiping across his bottom lip softly in elicitation of a incoherent whine as he fell back against the mattress.

the blissful feeling, however, was interrupted by a muted hum sounding between them.

lips trailing along the curve of josh's jawline instead and the feeling of hands against his bare skin being lost within seconds, tyler breathed against his cheek with a smile, "you're vibrating against my dick, baby."

and maybe it was because, after countless indecent daydreams and greed-fuelled visions, he finally had tyler joseph hovering above him with lust-lidded eyes, or maybe it was because of the newly whispered pet name that left his head faint and damn near turned his legs into jelly, but josh couldn't even attempt to comprehend the meaning of the older man's words. or at least, he couldn't until the brunette's hand slipped into the pocket of his hoodie to pull out his phone that was buzzing with the signal of an incoming call.

gaze running over the lit-up screen with a slight furrow of his brows, in a way that made the blue-haired boy's heart begin to clench with a sensation of unsuspected dread for a reason he couldn't quite identify, the older man tilted his head quizzically and asked, "who's _'boss man'?"_

fuck.

fucking _pete._

now it really did feel like his heart was about to implode, although that'd be a hell of a lot easier than actually facing up to the mess he'd caused.

"he, _uh.._ it's just my friend, well.. used to be my boss which is why, uh.. _yeah,_ " josh rambled in explanation, gaze instantly flickering away from the brunette's somewhat confused stare and reaching up to tug the still ringing phone from his hands; declining the call with a shaky tap and tossing the device aside with a gulp of guilt that in no way washed away his nerves, ".. probably not important."

it wasn't necessarily a lie, josh reasoned internally, but that didn't in any way lessen the looming feeling of shame as he looked up at his boss' seemingly unknowing face. and perhaps it only lasted mere seconds, but the dauntingly quiet lull of air between the two of them wasn't doing much to help either.

"you're cute when you're flustered."

cheeks flushing wildly at both the unexpected compliment and the way the older man's lips tugged back up into that swoon-worthy, crooked smile, the younger buried his face into his shoulder bashfully with an involuntary sigh of relief; hands instantly tugging tyler closer again by the material of his t-shirt and connecting the two of them with an urgent kiss to the column of his neck.

"so eager, kitten.." the brunette smirked, a low and breathy chuckle brushing against josh's face as his own hands wrapped around the hem of the borrowed hoodie to tug it upwards with a muttered demand, "off." 

lifting his arms without even a hint of hesitation, josh wiggled out of the sweater with a huff; a stray, mussed up curl falling in his face and a pair of silky lips instantly trailing against his chest, and scattering a constellation of biting kisses in place in a way that made it damn near impossible to not instantly curve up into the touches with suppressed moan.

"ty-"

with a final, silencing nip to his collarbone, tyler sat back on his knees between the blue-haired boy's legs; that same, darkened look of hazy possession making a return to his eyes and his hand swatting the younger's thigh in an assertive signal alongside his command, "shorts off too, and on your front."

an obedient nod, as usual, and a desperate whine were the only responses his love-drunk mind could comprehend.

fumbling to kick off his shorts and tossing them onto the growing pile of discarded clothing, with another wash of heat across his already flushed cheeks at the sight of the older man's amused yet greedy stare running over his exposed skin as he tugged his own t-shirt off, josh settled onto his hands and knees in ignorance of the anticipation swirling deep in the pit of hit stomach; eyes squeezed shut, fingers gripping at the furry comforter beneath him and his face nuzzled into the older man's pillow.

the lingering scent of vanilla and pine and cigarette smoke, the lingering smell of tyler - it was heavenly.

"can you please just do something before i lose my goddamn mind?" josh groaned in impatience, voice muffled into the pillow and the blissful feeling of the older man's hand and lips and tongue pressed against his skin already seeming to fade away from his memories, ".. _please?"_

"be patient," the brunette growled, his usual low rasp laced with undertones of dominance that left josh weak with every appearance; strong hands grabbing at his hips in a way that was sure to leave tiny purple finger-shaped bruises in place come the morning and the sudden sensation of another body above his own being all too prominent in the way that a wash of warm breath swept across his neck, "we've got all the time in the world, kitten."

and as much as josh felt the urge to argue that they really _didn't_ have all the time in world, given that there was an eager five year old on the other side of the house who could burst in at any time with a face teary from night frights, or simply be awoken by the obscene noises that the blue-haired boy wasn't quite sure he'd be able to hold in with just a bite of his lip, the instant reattachment of lips to his skin washed away every coherent thought.

his argument instead finding itself replaced with nothing but a stifled gasp.

"so beautiful, baby," tyler hummed in that usual husky tone, words accompanied by a series of warm kisses along the trail of freckles decorating his shoulders and lazily following the lines of his back, "you drive me crazy.. don't know how i managed to wait so long for this."

god damn.

josh had no fucking idea how he'd managed to last through those months of teasing either, but one thing was certain - there was no way he was going to last much longer.

face burying itself deeper in the comfort of the pillow and his voice cracking embarrassingly with need, josh blurted out "..ty, please."

the older man made a soft tsking noise in response, his lips quirking up into a sly smile against the blue-haired boy's skin, but clearly decided to take pity on him anyway; fingers loosening their grip on his hips to instead loop beneath the waistband of his boxers, and tugging them down his thighs at an agonisingly slow pace with another biting kiss to the freshly exposed skin. and just as soon as the last barrier of clothing was as good as gone? tyler's face was buried between his legs; tongue flicking with practice against the younger boy in causation of a jolt and a tattooed arm looping underneath him to keep him upright.

and though he'd been doing a considerably good job of muting his pleasured noises beforehand, nothing could have stopped the instant breathy squeal that fell from josh's lips when tyler nudged his tongue in a little deeper alongside a slap to the bare skin of his ass; knees damn near collapsing from underneath him and a incoherent stream of _fuckfuckfuck_ dripping from his lips.

and without a doubt, he decided that he was most definitely in love with tyler joseph.

"god.. oh _fucking god,"_ josh cried out brokenly, toes curling with a indescribable sensation he was sure he'd never experienced before and his voice faltering once more at feeling of something beginning to claw at his chest desperately; his next babbled words caught on a sob, "i, fuck.. ty.. _tyler,_ need-"

a surge of relief flooding through the blue-haired boy when the touch was alleviated, he instantly collapsed onto his back with a gasp; the lack of contact being replaced within seconds by the feeling of warm fingers brushing across his heated cheek soothingly, and tyler's murmured words sounding like nothing but a hazy blur as he blinked up at the older man.

"you still with me, kitten?"

his response, once more, was simply a weak nod as he gasped for breath; leaning into the unusually gentle strokes for support.

"words, joshua," the brunette whispered, a hint of concern lacing itself with the dominance already oozing from his tone as his free hand brushed back through faded blue curls, "you've gotta use your words.. talk to me."

"'m good," josh breathed quietly with another affirming nod, eyes fluttering open tiredly and reaching up to rest his palm flat against the bare skin of his boss' tattooed chest; the feeling of his heart pounding almost in sync with the younger's own only serving to fuel his desire further and leaving those three words burning on the tip of his tongue. "i've just never.. you're.. _something else_ and i think.. i lo-"

happy with the gushing confirmation alone, tyler dipped down to lock their lips in interruption of the oncoming, rambled confession; the older man's lips still tasting of their usual sweet honey, except now with a hint of _him_ too, in a way that probably should've been repulsive but only served to make him swoon when accompanied the faint tugging of his hair and the sudden feeling of two fingers pushing into him.

a needy whine melting into the brunette's mouth, alongside his intended proclamation of love, and his hips instantly rolling back against tyler's curled fingers in search of _that_ spot, josh murmured waveringly, "just fuck me already, please.. need you.. like, _now."_

"sure?"

"positive."

he'd never been more positive of anything in his entire life.

apparently not wanting to wait even a single heartbeat longer, communicated simply by the way his boss' eyes instantly darkened, the younger barely even had the chance to let out another whiny plea before he was being robbed of tyler's touches once more and the those hands were instead working on tugging off his own loose sweats and boxers with a raspy huff.

and he definitely felt his stomach flip at the newfound sight of a fully naked tyler joseph sat up in front of him - sure, he'd seen him partially naked more times than he could count, but the whole image was nothing compared to the somewhat vivid illusions he'd attempted to build in his mind late at night; skin like honey, tanned and adorned with those vivid tattoos painting his toned chest and arms, legs dusted with faint hairs, soft curls of hair pushed back in a sleepy mess, his soft lips still glossy and his dick standing against the plane of his stomach at a solid seven inches hard.

pulled out of his hazy, daydreaming stare by the tattooed arm wrapping around his waist to nudge him upwards, josh glanced up to see the brunette already tossing the wrapper of a condom aside carelessly; one eyebrow quirked in his direction and an amused smirk playing on those kiss-swollen lips as he rasped, "are we a little distracted, kitten?"

cheeks instantly flushing a little darker with the embarrassment of being so candidly called out on his ogling, or what was possibly just the bashfulness of finally being so exposed to the singular man that'd haunted his suggestive fantasies ever since they'd first met, yet not wanting to give him the satisfaction of unhinging the blue-haired boy so easily, josh responded wordlessly; damn near jumping onto the older man's lap and slotting their lips together in a lazy kiss of clashing tongues and low moans.

and then the sudden yet slowly filling feeling of nothing but _tylertylertyler_ was inescapable; what little oxygen was left practically being knocked out of his lungs and his dangerously loud moan being released into the crook of the brunette's neck in sync with the upwards jolt of his hips. 

"you good?" tyler murmured breathlessly, that same protective undertone making a return to his husky voice and his hands smoothing down the curve of the younger boy's back in a shiver-inducing touch as the younger squirmed to adjust and whined against his skin, "c'mon, baby, look at me."

better than good, was what he felt like screaming through the whole house, though he responded simply with another needy whine.

thighs tightening their hold on either side of the older man's waist and arms looping around his neck to pull the two of them as close as physically possible, josh peered up at him with a blink of wet eyes; their noses bumping gently and his words brushing against tyler's lips, "move, please.. _tyler."_

"i've got you, kitten."

hooking his hands beneath the blue-haired boy's trembling thighs, the brunette flipped the two of them over with a wet kiss to josh's neck and a possessive growl; hips damn near hammering against the younger with an unexpected intensity and purring a litany of hushed reassurances low in his ear.

the weight of another body above him and the scratching of tyler’s stubble against his cheek and the warmth of breath brushing across his face when his boss rested their foreheads together - it was mesmerising.

and he was _so_ fucking in love.

nails scrambling to dig into the tanned skin of tyler's shoulders and his thighs hitching higher above his hips for support, the younger groaned; head thrown back against the pillow, eyes fluttering shut with bliss and another wretched babble slipping from his lips, " _fuck.._ ty, m'close."

locking gazes ever so briefly, and being met once more with a flash of tempting warmth in his boss' eyes that'd became so comforting as of late, tyler responded solely with a grunt of acknowledgment and the locking of their lips in a surprisingly tender kiss; instantly picking up his own pace of deepened thrusts and tangling one hand in the curls at the nape of josh's neck with a soothing scratch as the younger boy mewled into his mouth unintelligibly. 

and not that he was surprised, given that he'd fantasised about this very situation far too much for it to have been considered healthy, but josh _really_ didn't last much longer; one particularly well aimed thrust, an encouraging tug of his hair and the sensation of the older man's own gravelly moan melting into his mouth being the perfect combination to kick him over the edge; bucking up against tyler with a breathless cry of his name in sync with the stuttering of the brunette's hips - endless hums muffled against his skin as tyler traced his lips over the freckles littering the blue-haired boy's shoulder.

"you're so fucking perfect, kitten," the brunette purred lazily as he practically collapsed against the younger's chest; both his praise-ridden words and that husky, lust-lidded voice only serving to spark an outburst of goosepimples along every inch of his exposed body, "so perfect."

"i should be the one saying that to you," josh whispered shakily in return, words subdued where his lips were pressed into his boss' sweat-matted hair and quirking up into a sated smile, " _please.._ never stop doing that."

with another round of his breathy laugh, jostling against the younger's chest and damn near sending his heart into cardiac arrest, tyler smirked simply, "we'll see."

god damn.

he was never going to leave tyler joseph's side.

~ 

of course, waking up next to tyler joseph had became a regular occurrence for josh over the passing month of so, one of which always made his heart flutter in the most juvenile way without fail as he nuzzled closer into the warmth of his embrace or looked over his effortlessly handsome face, but what he hadn't been as expecting of was that he'd wake up with a pair of undeniably smaller arms clinging to his bare chest and a mess of feathered hair tickling his nose.

 _and_ an aching pain in his ass, although that one seemed a little less appropriate to dwell on given his situation.

only when a quiet thud sounded just to the right of the two of them, causing a slightly disturbed shift of the tiny body tucked up beside him, did josh make an effort to force open his eyes that were exhaustedly begging him to just go back to sleep; squinting at the sudden light but being met with the always heavenly sight of a still sleepy tyler sat on the edge of the bed - silky curls an effortlessly attractive mess, his honeyed skin damn near glowing beneath the rays of sun peeking through the blinds and his hooded eyes glazed over with a look of adoration as he gazed down at his two boys.

for most of his life, josh had never quite known his own definition of perfection, but he had a strong feeling that waking up to _this_ every morning for the rest of his life would be exactly that.

god damn.

"he had a nightmare," tyler explained, voice laced with drowsiness and his lips curving up lazily at the corners into a sincere smile, as he answered the unspoken question of exactly why the blue-haired boy currently had the little one pressed against his side and snoring quietly; clearly sensing that the younger was awake and shifting his gaze onto josh's own instead. "good job i cleaned you up and got you back into a pair of shorts after you passed out on me, huh?"

feeling his cheeks burn to the matched shade of the hickeys scattered across his chest like a constellation at the simple reminder of the night prior, josh snorted in response, "yeah, dude.. you're my hero."

leaning across the bed, and being careful to avoid unsettling the younger brunette sandwiched between them, the older man swooped down to steal a languid morning kiss with no care for the mingling of their morning breath; their mouths slotting together with practice and josh's bottom lip being threaded softly between his teeth as he pulled back with a quiet drawl, "i've got a missed call from michael at the office, so i need to call him back to take care of that first.. but i promise i'll come back to kiss you some more and make breakfast when i'm done."

"can't promise that i won't be asleep again when you come back," josh pouted childishly, savouring the way the brunette's eyes rolled in amusement at his neediness, yet leaned into the final, parting peck to his forehead anyway and watched on longingly as the older man stepped out of the bedroom with his phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear.

allowing the faint humming of tyler's voice, low and raspy and with it's usual authoritative twang, just beyond the wall to send him back into a somewhat delirious reverie, the blue-haired boy sighed in contentment and nestled himself back into the warmth of the covers; immersing himself into the comforting scent and carding his fingers gently through max's mess of hair.

to say that this was far from what josh had expected back when he'd first met tyler joseph would've been an overstatement to say the least - because to end up so easily domesticated with a rich and successful asshole, who he'd originally claimed to hate, and his heart-meltingly adorable surprise of a son would most definitely have been at the very bottom of the list labelled 'things likely to happen'.

not that he was complaining.

to complain about something so impossibly perfect would be nonsensical, he supposed.

his daydreaming, and endless internal gushing of just how impeccably everything had worked out for the two of them given the endless bumps in the road, was interrupted, however, when tyler strolled back into the room and broke the silence with a call of his name; a flurry of loose papers in his hand and his brows furrowed adorably in concentration.

"joshua, do you happen to have the plans for the album release event next weekend?" the brunette asked, face painted with an impatience that josh only hoped was aimed towards those calling him about business so early in the morning, and not the younger boy himself, and the phone still pressed to his ear as he restlessly tossed the useless papers aside, "you should've wrote them down in the diary during the meeting."

a yawn slipping from his lips and his eyes fluttering closed once more, josh motioned vaguely in the direction of the the older man's desk with a dismissing mumble, "i typed them up on my laptop if you need them.. s'over there."

"you're a lifesaver, kid."

and almost as soon as the words left his lips, the blue-haired boy felt that same, anxious tugging in his stomach that'd been far too prominent over the passing days; eyes instantly snapping open at the sound of his laptop being tapped at and his body fighting the desperate urge to disturb the sleeping little one in exchange for snatching the device from tyler's hold, as the realisation suddenly blared like a damn siren in the back of his sleepy mind.

_fuck._

" _wait,_ ty-"

tone seemingly drained of all of the authority that it previously held, and instead being replaced with a sickening pang of disbelief as he shifted his gaze from the article still present on the lit-up screen to meet the younger's own panicked gaze with dull eyes, tyler simply whispered "..i'll have to call you back, mike."

**_fuck._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i screamed approximately 287 times out of frustration while trying to write this chapter and realised that i can only write smut when it's in first person and this is the worst ending to a chapter yet sorry
> 
> (should've deleted the article, josh)
> 
> as always, love you guys ♥️


	15. fifteen.

if josh had been even the slightest bit trusting in the fact that perhaps his endless stream of undeniable bad luck was finally beginning to turn around for the first time in his life, then every single ounce of that naive confidence was washed away within a singular, split second when he met tyler joseph's gaze.

every loss of keys and late appearance to work and spilt coffee down his freshly dry-cleaned clothing and every damn awkward encounter with the attractive blonde guy from only a few doors down in his complex still, somehow, didn't prepare him for just how defeating this fresh wave of bad luck would feel.

and now, he really was beginning to believe that perhaps he'd done something unspeakable in a past life to deserve this level of misfortune.

because _fuck._

he was so fucked.

"tyler-"

" _shut up,_ " tyler whispered, in a sentiment far too similar to the way in which their 'pre-lovers' conversations used to go; fingers pressed to either side of his temples and his eyes squeezing shut in what the younger assumed was thought. "just shut up."

and for once, a cocky and somewhat provoking retort didn't seem to be the best way of dealing with the older man's annoyance.

although he didn't have much time to consider any other kind of panicked response, given that the brunettes's low and slightly wavering voice cut through the suffocating silence like a knife before he could even open his mouth. 

"so.. what are you?" he hissed, head tilting quizzically towards the younger as he leant back against his desk; tone laced with that ever-intimidating bitterness, but an undisgusiable twinge of hurt being obvious in his tired eyes, "a journalist? reporter? _fraud?"_

shifting quietly as to not disturb a still sleepily oblivious max, josh sat back up against the pillows; fingers instantly tangling themselves in the sheets anxiously and his gaze avoiding tyler's own cold glare as he breathed, "i'm not any of those.. just _please,_ let me-"

it wasn't necessarily a lie, he reasoned, given that he really _wasn't_ a journalist anymore.

"you're not any of those? do you really expect me to believe that?" the older man scoffed, his words trailing off into an incredulous laugh as one hand brushed back through his already ruffled bedhead of curls with frustration, "i'm not sure writing gossip columns about someone else's life is a believable hobby, kid.. about my _'scandalous affair'_ with my receptionist, the law suit.. what was coming next? my pregnant girlfriend leaving me? my fucked up love life? my _kid?"_

"no.. _no,_ i would _never-_ " the blue-haired boy began in an ungracefully rambled defence as he caught a glance of the sleeping little one in the corner of his eye; another round of stomach churning remorse kicking in as he sighed in explanation, "look.. i _was_ a journalist, okay? i was about to lose my fucking job, but then my boss came up with this plan.. involving you..  he said he'd give me a raise, job security, _whatever_ if i went undercover and just found _anything_ about you to write about, and i know it was a dick move to agree to it in the first place.. i know.. but i was desperate, tyler. that article, or the start of it.. i only wrote that when i was pissed off at you for the whole jenna thing. i haven't touched it since we went on that stupid fucking double date, and i _never_ had any intention of sending it or using it after that either.. i pretty much never even thought about my job after that night."

perhaps it seemed like a forgivable enough spiel in his own mind, but the look of pure betrayal painted across the brunette's face in the form of his hardened, yet slightly watery stare told josh that it was a far cry from worming his way back into the heart that'd been so difficult to win over in the first place.

"i quit my job yesterday," josh confessed, voice dropped back down to a barely audible whisper in the hopes that it would somehow manage to disguise the tremble in his own words; heart thumping so restlessly against his chest that he was sure the older man would be able to hear it from across the room. "i couldn't do it anymore.. i couldn't keep pretending that it wasn't killing me, knowing that i was lying and keeping something so important from you. i wanted to tell you myself.. i was going to but-"

"you're such a lying piece of shit," tyler snapped with a growl, though this time laced with distress as opposed to the usual venom in his shouts, as he one-handedly slammed the laptop shut; the sudden break of near-silence both startling the tiny brunette beside josh and causing the younger to flinch almost in sync with each other.

"i'm not lying!"

bitterness practically drowning his words and his fury-filled scowl damn near burning holes into the blue-haired boy, the older man spat "do you really think that the fact of you quitting your job _yesterday_ is going to make a fucking difference, josh? i trusted you.. i told you things only brendon and my family know, let you into my house, let you spend time around my son.. you're the first person since his mother that has ever stayed a single night in this house, and it was all for what? for you to write about my private life in some juvenile gossip magazine?"

fuck.

this was definitely worse than he'd even begun to imagine all of those times that he'd played this situation out in his mind on those sleepless nights, and this was definitely not going to end well for either of them.

"ty, _please.._ i-"

"daddy?"

both of their gazes instantly snapping to face the owner of the drowsily sweet voice, josh was met with a sight that sent a sickening pang of guilt through his stomach, and probably would've broken his heart had the earlier look in tyler's eyes not already done so; a still sleepy max sat up beside him, clutching that same soggy white rabbit in his hands and looking between the two of them with a quiver of his bottom lip.

"pup.." tyler breathed, tone instantly softening at the sight of his son's equally shiny fawn-eyes and the fire in his stare seeming to burn out almost immediately, "you need go to your room, please.. until daddy comes to get you, okay?"

nodding silently, the little one wiggled out from beneath the sheets with a quiet thud of his dinosaur-socked feet against the carpet; the tiny fingers of his free hand instantly reaching out to wrap around the blue-haired boy's own with a gentle tug in the direction of the door, as those damn doe-eyes peered up at him expectantly.

".. with joshie?"

and though he had originally assumed it to be impossible, josh, without a single doubt, felt his heart shatter into a million extra pieces.

"max-"

" _not_ with josh," the brunette chided in interruption, in what the younger assumed was an attempt to be stern, though came out as more desperate than anything else thanks to the sudden break in his usually raspy voice.

eyebrows furrowing in confusion and his head tilting towards josh in a way that made him resemble his father far too much, max asked quietly, "later?"

mouth opening and closing immediately as every fathomable response seemed to die out within seconds on his tongue and rendered him damn near speechless, he only met max's stare with an equally saddened shake of his head; the grip on his fingers suddenly tightening.

and perhaps josh would argue that he simply didn't want to have to be the one to tell the little one that there most likely wasn't going to be a _later_ , but it was glaringly obvious that the outright acknowledgement of that very fact was being avoided to save the tears already beginning to prick at his own eyes.

"josh needs to leave now," tyler pointed out quietly as he cleared his throat in a useless concealment of the anguish lacing its way back between his words; the sentiment obviously aimed towards his son regardless of the fact that his stare failed to shift anywhere but the younger's face. "so say goodbye to him and then go to your room."

heartbreakingly adorable as ever, and in somewhat dejected recreation of the way in which he typically greeted the blue-haired boy, max reached up to wrap his arms around josh's waist with a muffled sniffle; cheek pressed against his chest and the hand still clutching the ragged bunny stretching upwards to brush it's plastic nose against the tip of josh's own in an imitation of a kiss. 

"bye, joshie."

and just like that, his own unaffected front was crushed.

god fucking damn.

one hand ruffling the younger brunette's already mussed up curls with a feigned smile and the other swiping away at the dampness unexpectedly beginning to brim against his lower lashes, the younger whispered, "see you later, dude."

not even daring to watch the little one's departure for the fear of breaking completely, josh simply refocused his stare on the floor, and only when the pattering of tiny footsteps along the hallway had faded into the distance, and the younger had just about managed to gather what little composure he had left, did he force himself to meet his boss' gaze again; the brunette for once, as opposed to usual apathetic expression that painted itself across his unfairly handsome face, seeming to be what josh assumed would be a damn near mirror image of his own appearance - lips downturned ever so slightly at the corners, and that same, damp shine glinting in his own hooded eyes.

tyler joseph, of all people, on the verge of crying was something josh had never once considered that he'd see.

and _god,_ he'd fucked up so badly.

"do you not see how completely screwed up this whole thing is?"

of course he knew just how immoral pete's scheme was, he'd realised that a long time ago, but apparently the question was rhetorical, given that the older man continued on with his reprimanding rant before the blue-haired boy could even consider forming his own apologetic response.

"messing with me is one thing, but fucking with a five year old's feelings too? i didn't need _this.._ i didn't need him getting attached to another person who's just going to up and leave once they get what they need from me," tyler damn near growled, sharper than before, as a stray tear slipped from the corner of his eye; one that nearly went unnoticed with just how swiftly he brushed it away.

"tyler, that wasn't my intention," the younger sighed as he wiped at the watery veil blurring his own vision; standing from the bed with shaky legs and closing the short distance between the two of them as his wavering words trailed off into hopeless plea, "you have to believe me when i say i never meant for it.. for _us._. to go this far when i first agreed to taking the job."

fingers carding back through his hair frustratedly and latching onto one particularly long strand to twist around his index finger, in the way the blue-haired boy had gotten so used to seeing whenever tyler was feeling particularly stressed, he snapped in interrogation "then why would you stay? why the fuck would you carry on seeing me, and get involved with my son, if you _knew_   that it was all going to go to shit eventually?"

and really, josh decided, it was now or never if he had any chance of saving whatever it was that he and the older man had.

"because i'm in love with you, asshole!"

he hadn't necessarily intended for it to come out as a somewhat frantic shout right in tyler's face, and even shocked himself a little with just how effortlessly the confession fell from his lips, considering the fact that there was a sudden stream of hot tears tracking down his cheeks, but it was already out there now; the words automatically repeating themselves in a choked up whisper against the brunette's lips, _"i'm in love with you."_

that warm breath brushing across his face, the comforting scent of vanilla and pine surrounding his senses, the feeling of tyler's gaze dropping back down to his lips - it almost felt as if everything was going to be okay.

but as was becoming an all too common occurrence in josh's life, nothing ever went right, proven only by the older man's next seething words; practically dragging across his bottom lip like the tip of a knife, and near enough knocking every last ounce of oxygen from his lungs.

"get out."

uncaring of the fact that his voice was likely to pathetically break mid-plea, the younger whimpered "ty, please don't-"

"you've got five minutes to get your things, get out of my house and out of my life," tyler informed without even missing a beat, hands tucking into the pockets of his sweats and his freshly apathetic stare barely even giving josh a second glance as he strolled towards the door in a way so nonchalantly that it almost felt as if he'd somehow fallen back into the emotionless persona that the blue-haired boy had first been acquainted with; only pausing briefly, one foot into the hallway, to call back coldly.

"what's funny, joshua, is that yesterday i thought that perhaps i felt the same way." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise surprise i hate this chapter but honestly i usually always do and then i tend to feel better about my writing once i've slept and re-read it a day or two later, but i hope you guys enjoy it anyway (as much as you can when it's a not happy chapter)
> 
> sorry for the ??? ending (writing endings is the worst) and sorry this chapter is shorter than usual but you know.. plot reasons and stuff (it's also one of the quickest chapters i've ever written because i really wanted to get it out for you today but have so much work and sleeping to do)
> 
> i'm going to get to doing some of that sleeping now ^ but HUGE love to anyone who reads/kudos/comments ♥️


	16. sixteen.

josh wasn’t quite sure exactly what counted as hitting rock bottom, but if essentially being dumped, losing both of your jobs within the space of 24 hours, being evicted from your shitty apartment that you could no longer afford to pay rent for and ending up stood at the front door of your ex’s best friend’s apartment with nothing but a couple of suitcases and a whiny plea already on your lips met the criteria?

then yeah.

he had definitely hit rock bottom.

although it couldn't quite be blamed on his unrelenting bad luck alone this time around.

and although he knew it probably wasn't the healthiest thing in the world, as he had done pretty much ever since he first laid his eyes on tyler joseph, josh still couldn't stop his mind from wandering to thoughts the older man; about just how perfect everything had been between the two of them only days ago, when they were laying in bed together, sated and sweaty with tyler brushing stray curls from his face with a soft smile, or about how tyler had ran his silky lips along the nape of his neck and grazed his fingers across the younger's stomach in aimless patterns until he'd slowly began to drift off to sleep. and _especially_ about the final kiss that they'd shared in those last few moments of peace; tyler tasting of his usual sweet honey with a hint of _him_ still lingering behind, in that combination that probably should've been nauseating but was damn near impossible to detest when his bottom lip was being tugged at tenderly.

it was also impossible to not let those not so loving thoughts of exactly what had followed afterwards worm their way into his mind.

and _fuck,_ if he didn't already feel lousy enough without the heartbreakingly bitter image of a teary-eyed tyler damn near burning itself into the backs of his eyelids, or the last words he'd spat out coldly running through his mind on repeat in a taunting reminder of just how badly he'd fucked up, or even-

the clearing of a throat just in front of him snapping him out of his disheartening thoughts, josh blinked away the dampness that'd already begun to blur his vision ever so slightly and looked up to meet an all too familiar gaze; the look in brendon's eyes, although somewhat unreadable in emotion, telling him that the other man already knew everything.

not that it came as much of a surprise though.

"well, well, _well.._ " brendon drawled dramatically as he leant against the doorframe with a flash of that blinding smile, though one that was so obviously fake given that it didn't quite reach his eyes like the last time josh had seen him; arms crossing intimidatingly across his chest and condescension oozing from his tone, "if it isn't little liar liar pants on fire."

the fingers clutching the handle of his suitcase tightening their grip anxiously, josh sighed "i-" 

quirking an eyebrow in the younger's direction and running his gaze over josh scrutinisingly in an inadvertent cause of the shameful flush that bit at his cheeks, the brunette interrupted with another taunting grin, "not much of angel anymore, are we?"

and as much as he wished he could dismiss that very comment, josh had came to the conclusion, after what felt like endless days of laying in bed and tearfully brooding over the man he assumed would never spare another glance in his direction again, that he was just as much of an asshole as tyler joseph himself.

in fact, he was 100x worse.

"look, i know i fucked up, like.. _really_ fucked up, but-"

"damn right you did, asshole," he scoffed, words defensive but his tone far less standoffish than tyler's own had been when scolding him in the same way, as he reached forward to slap the blue-haired boy upside the head alongside an exasperated eye-roll; eyebrows furrowing as the older man informed, "that's for fucking with my best friend.. i'm supposed to be the only one who does that."

"okay, i deserved that," josh sighed in admittance, holding back the huff of annoyance threatening from slip from his lips at what he could only assume would be another upcoming lecture about just how careless and insensitive his whole morally fucked scheme had been; instead focusing on brushing his fingers across the now stinging side of his head with a childlike pout. 

of course, he probably deserved much more than a singular slap, but now was _not_ the time to mention that out loud.

arms instantly returning to their crossed position over his chest almost defensively and his gaze trailing just behind the younger to where his luggage was messily strewed in the hallway, brendon asked with a tired sigh of his own, "why are you even here, kid? please don't tell me this is what i think it is, 'cause-"

fuck.

"i wouldn't be here if i wasn't desperate," the blue-haired boy managed to blurt out before he could be completely rejected on the spot, forcing himself to swallow the nerves rising in his throat and pulling out hopeless puppy look that'd even helped him win over a once cold-hearted tyler joseph; eyes widening and his lips tugging down into an exaggerated frown as he continued in a ramble, "for the past month, i'd practically been living with.. him.. and i ended up missing my rent payment for my own apartment, and then all of _this_ happened and i'd already fucking quit one job and lost the other one so i couldn't afford to pay for this month's rent _and_ the one i'd missed and i got evicted, okay? my family lives out of state and my best friend is practically married to my actual boss, so i can't go anywhere near his house right now and _i.._ you're my last resort."

"charming."

cheeks instantly flushing a shade darker at the older man's snort of mock offence, josh stammered "i don't- that's not what i meant.. i mean, i know i'm probably the last person you care about seeing right now, let alone the last person you want staying in your home, because i'm just the asshole who kissed you once and then screwed up badly with your best friend but.. i don't know what else to do right now. i just need somewhere to stay until i figure something out.. _please."_

and to say that those following few seconds of silence were unnerving would've been the understatement of the century.

all of the previous reluctance painted across his face seeming to slowly wash away and a groan that signalled surrender filling the air between the two of them, the brunette pushed past him with a brush of their arms; hitching one of the younger's bags over his shoulder and murmuring tiredly, "you owe me _big time_.. now get in."

and by the time he glanced back up from slightly hazy view of his own feet, brendon was already beyond the door, bags in hand and looking back at him impatiently.

damn near tripping over his own feet as he stumbled to catch up with the older man, josh hurried behind him with an exhale of relief and a silently communicated 'thank-you' via the flash of gratitude in his eyes; barely even having the chance to settle his bags properly before brendon was backing up into the open plan kitchen with another questioning look.

"beer?"

"uh, yeah.. sure," josh nodded, only a faint stutter this time around, as he trailed off with an awkward tug of his bottom lip and attempted to distract himself from the silence by checking out his surroundings; dimmed, low lighting filling the room with a surprisingly warm and relaxed vibe, shelves littered with vinyls and other music memorabilia filling the whole far wall and an arrangement of fur-throw covered couches surrounding the flat screen TV, just beside the glass wall leading to the balcony.

it was exactly the kind of bachelor pad that he'd expected the brunette to live in.

and though brendon may not have necessarily been a millionaire himself, the younger could only assume that he was _something_ like that.

settling down onto the nearest couch just as the older man returned, josh took the bottle being held out to him with a faint smile, a nod and another nearly-whispered 'thanks'; freezing only at the way brendon suddenly halted next to him with a tilt of his head, and a flicker of something indistinguishable in his eyes.

nose scrunching up with mild distaste, and curiosity lacing itself into his tone, he asked "you smoke?"

"no.. i never have," the blue-haired boy answered honestly with a shake of his head, to which the other man only responded with a slightly puzzled stare, "why?"

"kid, you smell like a fuckin' walking advertisement for lung cancer," brendon remarked, with another crook of his eyebrow in the younger's direction as if to challenge his initial denial, though seemingly not caring enough to continue on with the conversation as his attention turned to the tv; already beginning to flick through the channels with the remote in hand.

and maybe his stomach flipped almost sickeningly at the reminder alone, but josh couldn't help but to instinctively nuzzle further into the fleecy material of the grey hoodie that had pretty much only left his grasp over the past couple of days whenever he was forced to remove it to shower; nose brushing against the hood in search of that familiarly hazy scent of cigarette smoke and vanilla and pine, and his free fingers distractedly twirling the loose strings.

maybe, josh considered, it was slightly unhealthy to have essentially stolen his ex-boss, or.. ex-kind of boyfriend's hoodie upon being kicked out of both his house _and_ his life, but hey, it was all he had left of the man that he was so unfairly in love with.

well, that and the constellation of slowly fading hickeys trailing along the expanse of his neck and chest that only seemed to serve as a gut-wrenching reminder of their night together every time the blue-haired boy so much as caught a quick glance of himself in the mirror.

god damn.

"so, are you gonna tell me what happened so that we can get the elephant in the room out of the way, or are we gonna sit here watching cheaters and acting like everything is fine?"

flinching at the sudden prominence of brendon's obnoxiously loud and unexpected voice right beside him, and feeling the flush on his cheeks begin to burn once more at the shameful suspicion that the brunette had just watched him fall into that infatuated daze, josh simply dismissed the comment with a hesitant murmur, "you already know what happened."

he also really didn't feel like repeating the tale of exactly how he'd deceived tyler joseph and managed to majorly fuck up the one good thing in his life, given that each persistent reminder felt like a punch to the gut.

"kind of," brendon shrugged, relaxing back into the couch with one arm resting just behind the younger's shoulder and taking a sip of his own beer, "all i know is that you are, or were, a journalist or some bullshit and you were being paid to dig up dirt about him. i have no idea what actually went down between the two of you, except for the fact that it must've been bad 'cause.. he wasn't doing too good when i stopped by his place a few days ago."

as if he didn't already feel bad enough.

" _god,_ " he groaned with a fresh wave of misery at the unnecessary confirmation that he had well and truly fucked with the older man's feelings, pressing his own bottle to his lips to muffle his next confession as though it would somehow lessen the shame that came alongside it, "i mean.. that is why i was there to start with, for my stupid undercover job but.. i stopped caring about that months ago, and i never had any intention of actually going through with it as soon as i started to get close to him. i was gonna tell him about it myself, tell him what a stupid fucking idea it was in the first place and that i regretted ever agreeing to it, and then quit my job.. which i did. and then the other day, we uh.. slept together for the first time and-"

"you seriously waited that long?" the brunette smirked, eyebrows raising in disbelief at the blue-haired boy as his laugh seemed to echo between the two of them, "people are usually bent over his desk _before_ the first date."

"shut up," josh whispered bashfully, in a so obviously flustered reply with a knock of his knee against the other man's own; sinking further into the comfort of the tyler-scented sweater for solace as his gaze reconnected with brendon's amused own, "we had this, like.. perfect night, but then he found out about everything the next day.. so i came clean, and told him that i was in love with him but.. i don't think he believed me, and now we're here."

brendon's expression seemed to soften ever so slightly at the defeat damn near oozing from the younger's tone as he took another swig of his own drink; thumb swiping away the bitter residue on his downturned lips in a shameful catch of the younger's attention. "honestly? i just think he needs a little time, kid."

"would you be able to forgive me if you were him?"

"look, josh.. it was a shitty thing that you did, a mistake, and _trust me,_ i think he has every right to be pissed off and hurt.." the older man began with a sigh, the soft sound trailing off into a few passing beats of silence as he turned to face josh fully; their legs brushing and the brunette's reassuring gaze meeting his own once more, "but i don't think you're a bad person."

and those lips may not have been silky enough, and the stubble may have been non-existent, and those eyes weren't hooded enough, lacking the adorable crinkle between his brows and that inviting warmth that never failed to leave his legs weak, but it didn't matter.

because all josh saw was tyler.

heart practically crawling into his throat and thumping sickeningly, the blue-haired boy leaned forward to close the gap between the two of them before the rational part of his mind could even consider directing him otherwise; nose just grazing the other man's own as their lips met with a stunned hum, and his free fingers instinctively reaching out to clutch onto the material of brendon's loose t-shirt to tug him closer.

but those lips were too rough, too chapped, and his skin was too smooth as it brushed against josh's own, and the sudden taste tingling against his tongue was a nauseating combination of beer and a hint of spearmint gum - not leftover cigarette smoke and sweet honey.

_fuck._

wincing backwards with a shaky exhale and a fresh veil of haziness already beginning to build in his eyes, the younger just about managed to choke out, "fuck, _i.._ i'm sorry, i don't.. i don't know why i did that. i just-"

"josh."

"i don't-"

" _josh,_ " brendon repeated in a catch of his attention, before wrapping his slim fingers around josh's wrist gently and dropping his voice down to a murmur laced with a newfound tenderness; a far cry from the mutter of disgust that he'd been expecting to fall from the other man's lips, "it's okay, i'm not mad.. _it's okay,_ don't freak out."

with another stifled breath, the blue-haired boy rushed to swipe away the sudden trail of silent tears stinging his cheeks with the cuff of tyler's stolen sweatshirt; pretending as if his heart didn't clench painfully at the fresh gust of the older man's scent that attacked his senses as he sniffled weakly, "why does it feel like i just cheated on him? he isn't.. we aren't together." 

"'cause you know that he loves you," the brunette answered without even missing a beat, the faith in his own words painting itself across his face in a knowing expression as he smoothed a hand along the younger's upper back comfortingly, "and love means more than just dating someone."

brendon's words may have seemed confident, to the point in which josh so desperately wanted to believe them himself, but that very thought was increasingly hard to consider when tyler's final denial of those feelings was still running through his mind like a broken record.

"he hates me."

"he just needs time," the older man corrected, tone leaving no room for arguments as he stood from his own seat on the sofa; discarding of his half-emptied bottle of beer onto the glass coffee table and holding out a hand for the younger to take with a wiggle of his fingers, "and _you_ need to sleep it off, so come on. i'll show you the guest room."

and at this point, josh figured, his only hope was to keep believing that to be true. 

only when he found himself alone again, tucked up in the foreign sheets of the other man's spare bed and peering longingly into the darkness just beyond the bay window did he let his hand wander to the phone damn near burning a hole into the pillow beside him; brendon's words of needing space and time seeming to fade into an unintelligible ramble in the back of his mind the second his gaze locked onto the sight of tyler's contact.

**to: ty ♥️  11:58 PM**

i know you hate me right now and that

you're probably just going to ignore these messages

and i don't blame you for that

**to: ty ♥️  11:58 PM**

but i fucking hate myself for everything

that's happened and i miss you

**to: ty ♥️  11:58 PM**

 a lot

**to: ty ♥️  11:59 PM**

i miss having you next to me in bed at

night and i miss the feeling of waking up

with your arms around me and the way

you used to kiss my neck while we were

making breakfast 

  **to: ty ♥️  11:59 PM**

i miss hearing your laugh and seeing your smirk

whenever you managed to make me blush

  **to: ty ♥️  11:59 PM**

i even miss picking up your stupid fucking black coffee every morning

and you telling me that i'm late to work every single day

  **to: ty ♥️  12:00 AM**

i just hope that you can forgive me eventually

  **to: ty ♥️  12:00 AM**

i'm sorry, tyler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> awful cheesy ending
> 
> it has been one chapter and i miss writing joshler already (insert sad violin noises)  
> josh's parents live out of state for plot reasons, sue me 
> 
> the next chapter is going to go one of two ways, but i haven't decided which yet so.. this will be fun


	17. seventeen. (brendon)

if there was anything worse than tending to a heartbroken tyler all those years ago back when he’d been left high and dry by the supposed love of his life, brendon decided, then that was tending to, or what was more or less mothering, josh instead.

sure, when that bitch had abandoned tyler for her boss with nothing more than a flash of her positive pregnancy test and a half-assed apologetic smile he had cried enough to probably fill the swimming pool in his backyard and had needed to be retrieved from seedy bars downtown whilst he was supposed to be at the office more times than either of them would care to admit, but he still would’ve taken _that_ over caring for josh.

because, as their common nickname for the blue-haired boy suggested, he really had turned into a kid over the passing week - or perhaps a teenager was a better way to describe it.

an angsty, lazy and sulky teenager who spent his days doing nothing more than sprawling himself across the sofa, watching episode upon episode of the x-files and staring longingly at the phone that essentially never left his grasp; his dull eyes glinting with a hint of desperation each time the screen lit-up, only to be subtly replaced by disappointment every single time.

so much for figuring out a solution to the whirlwind of shit he’d caused.

jackass.

both the exhaustion of waiting on the younger boy hand and foot, and the pent-up frustration from watching him mope around their now shared apartment as though his whole life had come to an end as opposed to _actually_ trying to fix it, were the exact reasons why brendon decided to take a trip to the other brunette’s office that friday afternoon.

because he’d be damned if he didn’t at least attempt to fix this shit himself.

the look he was instantly met with though, upon swinging open the door with an overly-cheerful grin in a dramatic announcement of his arrival, told him that dealing with tyler wasn’t going to be much easier -  a cold glare, similar to the very one that had been shot his way countless times during the dreaded double dinner date all those weeks back, of squinted eyes and a furrow of his brows; a flash of irritation automatically taking over his face.

"get out."

holding back the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation at the other brunette's bitter demand before he'd even been given the chance to breathe, brendon simply dismissed him with a resistant shake of his head; nose scrunching in mock consideration as he trailed his fingers along the belongings left behind on the opposite desk with a hum, "nah, i'm good."

"you shouldn't even be in here," tyler huffed with an eye-roll of his own, one that'd become a far too familiar sight over their years of friendship, as he dropped the pen in his hold down onto the stack of sheets in front of him; his newly freed up hand raking back through his hair in exasperation instead, "i specifically asked for no visitors today."

leaning back against the surface of the smaller desk uncaring of the irked stare failing to waver from where it was pinned to his face and distractedly fiddling with the leather bound diary that'd been settled neatly in place, filled with pages upon pages of scrawled handwriting, the older man smiled, "oh yeah, i know.. blondie did try to stop me when i was on my way up here, but it wasn't too hard to change her mind."

for once, having already slept with the girl in question had worked to his advantage, as opposed to the usual aftermath he received of being slapped upside the head for not sticking to his false promises of calling the next day.

it was a win-win situation, really. 

"can you stop messing with that, and just put it back where it was?" the brunette snapped at him, voice laced more so with exhaustion as opposed to the usual venom of his barks; his glare lingering briefly on the diary in brendon's hands and the fingers in his hair instantly tightening.

"touchy," brendon teased with a low whistle and dropped the book, of which he could only assume belonged to the apartment leech given the younger's sensitive reaction, back onto it's place on the desk, although felt the urge to quit his pestering when he caught a glimpse of that discouragingly familiar look of defeat on his best friend's face; tone instantly dropping down to a quieter sigh with his next question, "how're you holding up, ty-guy? you doing okay?" 

“i’m fine,” tyler dismissed without missing a singular beat, readjusting his glasses and picking up his pen once more; signalling towards the loose paperwork in front of him with the tip as the older closed the gap between the two of them, “one of my lawyers stopped by yesterday and, thankfully, the band that was trying to sue me have decided to drop their charges against the label and withdraw the lawsuit. most likely because they would've lost anyway, but i'm not complaining. apparently they filed their motion to dismiss a couple of days ago, so i’m just trying to get through the paperwork.”

“you know that’s not what i meant.”

gaze refocused on the fine-print of the documents on his desk, as opposed to meeting the other man's own dissatisfied stare, the brunette simply deflected that topic of conversation once more with his cold mutter of “brendon, i’m busy.”

though brendon was sure that he'd reached peak frustration with the two of them only a couple of days back, when he'd came home late at night to the sight of a greasy-haired and teary-eyed josh reeking of vodka and sitting alarmingly close to the edge of the balcony as he toyed with the strings of that same damn hoodie, it seemed as though tyler's own continued ignorance of the situation was going to be the thing to finally tip him over the edge.

“tyler."

“i have enough work to do as it is, and i don’t need you pestering me-“

“you can’t keep pretending that this isn’t happening, asshole,” the older man exploded in interruption with a forceful slam of his hand against the desk; the jolt, however, leaving the brunette seemingly unfazed as he barely flinched, only looking back up to meet brendon's annoyed gaze with a dull stare of his own. already settling himself back against the desk with a heavy exhale, he continued without reservation, “everyone knows something is wrong. do you know how many people have stopped me on my way up here to ask if i know where _he_ is, or what the fuck is wrong with you lately?”

“i don’t know what you want me to say,” tyler replied bluntly; the lowering of his tone being a weak attempt to hide the faint waver in his words, the brunette assumed, although it was an impossible feat.

because at this point in their friendship, brendon knew him like the back of his hand, knew every single trick in tyler joseph's book of 'pretending everything is completely fine when it really isn't at all'.

to even attempt to hide his emotions from the older man was more than pointless.

“i want you to stop shutting me out and just talk to me,” he sighed out in request, softer than before, as he tilted his head in the younger's direction with a frown; lips downturned and a crinkle almost identical to the other brunette's forming between his brows in concern, “i’m your best friend, tyler.. you know you don’t have to keep up this ‘heartless' act around me.”

“i’m just.. _tired,_ bren,” the younger man breathed as he slid off his glasses to weakly run a hand across his face; fingers instantly returning to graze the short hair at the nape of his neck and his gaze dropping to his lap - the reluctance of his original confession seeming to melt away as he explained quietly, "i took last week off because i couldn't stand to look at that stupid fucking empty desk every day, and now i've got a mountain of work to finish without an assistant to help me, i had max hounding me all weekend about where josh had gone and when he was coming back and when he was going to be able to play superheroes again with fucking _'joshie'_.. i feel like i haven't slept properly in days because being on my own in the house feels _wrong,_ and i just end up lying there, re-reading his texts all night.. it's pathetic. and i.."

"ty-"

"i feel like i'm reliving the past," tyler whispered honestly, his unbothered facade seeming to shatter in a single heartbeat alongside the faint cracking of his voice, and the palms of his hands immediately reaching up to wipe away the tears brimming along his lower lashes; the only sound filling the strained silence of the office being his barely audible sniffle, "this is _her_ all over again, and i don't know if i can do it."

and though brendon admittedly had grown to have quite a soft spot for the blue-haired boy who now lived on his couch, seeing tyler slowly slipping back into the broken version of his 24 year old self that'd been one shot away from becoming a full-blown alcoholic left him wanting to give josh more than just a few of those slaps upside the head.

stupid, lovable asshole.

almost as if he'd read the older man's mind, and picked up on those exact thoughts of attempted resentment towards the younger boy, the brunette rasped his next words in a tone practically oozing with dejection.

"i want to wish that i'd never met him and i want to hate him for what he did, but.. i can't."

"you love him, right?" brendon coaxed with a crook of his eyebrow, despite not needing verbal confirmation given that the younger's heartache was practically painted across his face; the way his lower lashes clumped together wetly and the unshakable glimpse of longing in his eyes being enough of a wordless answer. "look, ty, i know it feels like you're going through the same thing all over again because he lied and betrayed you, and i'm not gonna sit here and try to tell that it doesn't suck right now, but he loves you too, y'know? he made a mistake, sure, but he's not a bad person, and we both know that there's not a chance in hell that he would've left if you hadn't told him to."

and maybe, brendon considered, he'd let on to a little too much information regarding josh's side of the story to still be able to subtly disguise the fact that he was a little more involved with the two of them than his best friend had at first assumed, but thankfully, the brunette was too distracted to even notice.

thank god.

with a dismissing shake of his head as his cheeks were wiped clean of all stray tears, and his glasses were settled back into place, tyler rasped tiredly, "i don't want to talk about this anymore, okay? i have less than an hour to finish this paperwork and get my shit together before a huge meeting, so just drop it.. please."

forcing back the urge to push for a resolve on the situation with the clearing of his throat, the older man asked expectantly, "..are you gonna be good for tonight?"

"i don't know, honestly.. i've been thinking about cancelling."

"the tyler joseph i know and love would never cancel a party," brendon reminded him with a teasing click of his tongue, lips instantly pulling back into an encouraging grin and reaching across the table to ruffle the brunette's perfectly groomed curls; the playful move eliciting one of those all too common eye-rolls, though one of faint amusement as opposed to distaste, "especially not a halloween one, and i've already bought my costume now, dude."

"can't promise that i'll be any fun to be around," tyler sighed, forcing a so obviously feigned smile onto his lips and taking the pen once more in his visibly shaking hands; the faux-show of optimism fading into one of restlessness once more with a biting tug of his bottom lip.

perhaps he was being a little overconfident within saying so, but the sudden idea that flashed through his mind at that moment was, without a doubt, going to be one of his best to date.

possibly even better than the double dinner date from hell, he decided. 

smirk instantly widening so prominently that he was sure the dimples in place would be left lingering for the rest of the day and his fingers drumming happily against the marble surface of the desk as he took a step backwards towards the door, the older man hummed "don't worry, i've got the perfect way to cheer you up.. so if you'll excuse me." 

and if anyone asked, he'd definitely just pretend as if he hadn't heard tyler's apprehensive call after him.

_ "don't do anything stupid." _

~

though, ever since the day that the blue-haired boy had turned up to his front door with tears in his eyes and a heap of bags trailing behind him in a wordless plea for help, brendon had grown well-accustomed to the sight of josh doing nothing more than lounging around on the sofa, a bottle of beer in one hand, his phone in the other and a irritated shade of red rimming his eyes, being welcomed with that very spectacle once more upon his late return to the apartment was more than enough to confirm that his upcoming scheme was necessary if he wanted to maintain what was left of his own sanity.

enough to also draw an irritated eye-roll from the brunette, one of which tyler himself would probably be proud of.

and just one simple glance at the younger boy's slumped form, buried beneath the material of that damn hoodie as always, told him that dragging his ass out of the apartment was going to be more of a feat than he'd originally assumed.

“rise and shine, lover boy,” brendon practically sang in lieu of a greeting, a petty hint of annoyance underlying in his seemingly enthusiastic tone, as he leaned over the couch to snatch the tv remote from where it was tucked beneath the other boy's arm; simultaneously nudging him a little too roughly with his elbow and switching off the current episode of the x-files that was streaming in front of them.  

“i was watching that."

“yeah, well now you’re not,” the brunette informed bluntly, with a flash of a challenging look towards his sulking face as if to dare him to even attempt to argue back, and pushing back the hood covering his mop of greasy, faded blue curls, “it’s past 6 o’clock, and you haven’t moved an inch from where i left you earlier on, so get up.”

fingers instantly tugging the material of the hood back over his head and his damn near lifeless gaze flickering away from brendon's own in a way that only emphasised his bratty, teenage tendencies, josh muttered out the simple response that he really should've been expecting upon his request. “there’s no reason for me to get up.”

and damn.

part of him was really regretting ever agreeing to involve himself in this shit show of feelings.

“it’s halloween, kid.. did you really think i was gonna let you sit in here sulking all night? no way, we’re going out," brendon insisted, reaching down one hand to wrap around the blue-haired boy's wrist and hauling him into a sitting position despite the flood of defiant groans and childish huffs that fell from his lips, "it's not an optional invite."

not wanting to give josh even the split second chance to fire back with yet another rebuttal of reasons as to why he couldn't leave the comfort of the apartment behind, that would surely only serve to spike his own exasperation with the kid, the older man simply patted him on the shoulder in encouragement; filling the silence between them with another inarguable command as the younger boy peered up at him almost pleadingly with those saddened puppy-dog eyes, “go and shower, please, and take off that hoodie because you’re _seriously_ starting to look and smell like some kind of homeless person.. do something about the stubble too, it doesn’t suit your baby face..  oh, and put these on instead.”

the ever sly smirk that usually graced his lips making an instant return, brendon dropped the gaudily-decorated shopping bag onto josh's lap with a quiet hum of satisfaction as the other boy curiously combed through the contents; his cheeks instantly flushing a rosy shade at the realisation of what the costume was and a barely audible huff of embarrassment falling from his own bitten lips.

"brendon, i'm not wearing this."

with a teasing pinch of josh's burning cheeks, he grinned simply “you'll look adorable.. now _go."_

_god,_ he was a genius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing endings is the hardest part of my existence  
> these past two chapters have been kind of boring, so i apologise, but it was all for plot reasons.  
> and i hope the perspective change isn't too weird? it was weird for me to write, so it might also seem to be written a little differently to the other chapters. it will be back to josh next chapter though (and our favourite boys will finally be reunited!)
> 
> can anybody already guess what josh's halloween costume is?
> 
> p.s. this hasn't been proofread because i'm in a rush to go out, so if you spot any mistakes just shout.


	18. eighteen.

if there was one thing josh loved more than the x-files and sleepy kittens with bright eyes and tiny wet noses, then that was halloween.

ever since he was a child he’d gone all out with the seasonal holiday; watching almost every halloween movie known to man during the days leading up to the 31st, stuffing his face with endless batches of pumpkin cookies and sickly candy corn and even spending what usually became hours upon hours picking out and perfecting his costume. it was one of the greatest nights of the year.

or at least, it usually was.

apparently though this year was different, given that there wasn't a single thing josh would consider to be fun about being forcibly dragged out of the comfort of the apartment, dressed up in what he assumed was the most embarrassing costume possible for a 23 year old man to be wearing and sitting anxiously in the passenger seat of brendon's car as he drove them to an undisclosed location, when really there was nothing more he wanted to do other than snuggle up on the couch in the stolen hoodie with a tooth-rotting pile of chocolate candies.

and _god_ , he wanted to kill brendon so much right now.

“i can’t believe you’re making me do this."

“what? i was right,” brendon protested smugly, with a flash of one of his usual self-satisfied and overly cocky grins that set off an urge in the younger to slap him senseless as he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, “you look adorable.”

“i look ridiculous,” josh huffed in retaliation, eyes rolling exhaustedly as he reached a hand upwards to readjust the furry black cat ears buried into his blue curls; feeling his cheeks instinctively flush with something between embarrassment and bashfulness at the sound of the attached bells jingling in the quiet lull of the car.

and really, he did.

as much as he had adored the pet name of ‘kitten' when it was falling from tyler’s lips, being raspily murmured low in his ear in bed of a morning when the older man’s hand would slip beneath the confines of his sweats or sweetly whispered against his lips before he was kissed breathless, to the point in which his knees always fell weak beneath him, josh wasn’t quite sure he was a fan of the physical representation; a velvet choker collar, colour matched with his ears, and adorned with a silver bell uncomfortably tight around his neck, the tip of his nose painted black with a set of small whiskers on either side and even a fluffy tail pinned to the backside of his leggings.

the whole get up looked even more humiliating in person, as opposed to when it had simply been tauntingly resting on the end of his bed less than an hour ago.

“you’re such a fucking asshole."

a low whistle slipping from between his lips in response, brendon glanced towards him with that unwavering grin and a quirk of his eyebrow; the look on his face alone already telling the younger that the brunette’s next words would only spark his annoyance further. “put the claws away, kitty cat.. i’m only trying to help you out.”

“help me out with what exactly?” the blue-haired boy asked with a sigh as he shuffled uncomfortably in his seat and stared at the other man helplessly, about ready to argue that he couldn’t even begin to imagine how on earth being forced into a party full of strangers would in any way solve any of his current life problems - at least, that was, until he noticed brendon’s smile widen.

because apparently, the brunette was a fan of wordless answers - the nonsensical costume, the secrecy and even the unwavering glint of mischief in the older man’s eyes all falling into place as the car pulled up to an all too familiar front gate.

fuck.

“no, no.. _no_ , nope,” josh instantly panicked with an equally embarrassing hitch of his breath, stomach dropping so suddenly that he was sure he was seconds away from spewing the nauseating combination of beer and thai food sloshing around all over the floor of brendon’s expensive car and his hand grabbing at the handle of the door with desperation; that very feeling translating into the tone of his next choked words, “brendon, _what the fuck?”_

"what?”

fucking jackass.

with an incredulous glance back at the older man’s seemingly unfazed stare as he leaned out of the window to punch in the entry code, the younger squeaked out, “are you out of your mind? brendon, i can’t go in there. i can’t just walk into his house and pretend like everything is fine.. so either turn the car around, right now, or let me out.”

“you’re being overdramatic,” brendon dismissed with a click of his tongue, seemingly uncaring of the younger boy’s urgent request as he continued on down the winding driveway between all of the now lit-up trees with only a careless shrug in josh’s direction. “and there is absolutely no way that we're turning around now, kid, ‘cause i’m tired of you two moping over each other like a pair of fuckin’ angsty teenagers.. it’s exhausting and honestly frustrating to watch.”

as much as josh was equally tired of spending his days sitting around with nothing better to do other than cling desperately to what was left of the older man’s scent on his sweater and watch his phone in the desperate hope of a response to at least one of his pleading texts, he didn’t even want to entertain the idea of reuniting with tyler in this way.

“do you not remember me telling you about the part of our argument when he told me to get out of his life?” the blue-haired boy stressed, with only a slight ache in his heart at the harrowing reminder, and brushed a hand through the baby curls at the nape of his neck; catching on one particularly long curl anxiously to loop around his finger in the very way that he missed seeing the brunette do so often.

god damn.

“look, whether he wants to admit it and whether you want to believe it or not.. he wants you here,” the older man insisted with a knowing side-glance in the younger’s direction, the smug undertone of his voice fading ever so slightly and instead being replaced with an air sympathy for the two of them, “maybe he just doesn’t know it yet.”

“brendon."

“ _josh,_ ” brendon countered without missing a single beat, crooking an almost challenging eyebrow in his direction and somehow managing to silence the blue-haired boy with that assertive stare alone; any attempts at further pleading burning off of his tongue as the brunette rolled down his window once more to receive two glasses of champagne from the suited-up server at the end of the driveway with a smile.

“hold these.”

and perhaps it wasn’t his greatest idea to date, but just the simple flash of tyler’s unfairly handsome face through his thoughts as the damn mansion grew closer and closer was more than enough to confirm the suspicion that he’d definitely need alcohol in his system if he was going to face the older man; both glasses of the sparkling liquid being drained before brendon could even glance back at him in disapproval.

fuck.

definitely a bad idea, if the sudden sickening churn of his stomach was anything to go by.

“okay, easy on the booze, kid.. we both know how well that went down last time,” the brunette muttered in apparent scolding, despite the fact that his lips still twitched upwards into an amused smirk anyway as he pulled up to park just beside one of tyler’s own cars. “although you did end up in his bed afterwards so.."

“i hate you so much right now.”

“we’ll see if you still feel that way tomorrow,” brendon hummed, tone unbothered by the bitter comment and one hand reaching out to gently pat the blue-haired boy’s thigh in encouragement as he flipped down his sun visor to check himself out in the mirror; the fingers of his free hand smoothing back through his slicked back hair briefly and readjusting his bow-tie.

forcing back the sickening combination of anxiety and complete dread crawling up his throat at the thought of actually stepping back into the very house in which things had ended so awfully the last time he was here, josh scoffed in a faux front of confidence, “you do realise that you just look like a stuck-up asshole, right?” 

“you think?” the older man asked with a mockingly contemplative scrunch of his nose, pulling out his prop gun from where it was tucked into the car door compartment and twirling it around in his hand, before sighing almost wistfully, "i was trying to go for james bond, not tyler joseph."

to that, despite the instant urge deep in his chest to erupt with a flurry of bitter comments in defence of the man that he was no longer scared to admit that he was unreservedly in love with, the only response josh could manage was an exasperated eye-roll.

“now get out.”

damn near tripping over himself and feeling his head spin nauseatingly in a scramble to catch up with brendon’s own over-confident stride towards the house, josh very briefly considering turning the other way and running as far away from tyler joseph as his shaking legs would carry him, though had no chance to even make that decision before he was being ushered through the door and into the main foyer of the house - the lighting dimmed ever so slightly with a purple hue, endless strings of fairy-lights looping across the high ceilings and wrapping around the rails of the double staircase, and packed to the brim with a combination of costume-clad guests and suited-up servers carrying silver trays of champagne.

it looked exactly like the kind of millionaire’s party you’d expect to see in some showy, seemingly unrealistic hollywood movie.

and by the way his fingers were beginning to numb and his throat was starting to feel a little too constricted, worsened only the tugging of the tight collar around his neck, josh wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up fainting or even falling into a full-blown panic attack before he even came face-to-face with the brunette again.

“i think i’m gonna throw up,” the blue-haired boy blurted out, barely audible over the flow of music thumping in his ears, as his trembling fingers instantly wrapped around the fresh glass of champagne being offered to him without a single hint of hesitation.

“yeah, that’s probably ‘cause of the two glasses of champagne you just chugged, _idiot.._ and the beers you drank before coming out,” brendon snorted with a sip of his own drink, despite his gaze failing to meet the younger’s own pleading puppy stare - the older man being seemingly distracted as his almost predatory glare scanned the room and trailed across the exposed legs of just about every girl within sight.

“brendon-“

“as much as i’d love to stay and chat, the cute blonde witch at 2 o’clock is calling my name,” the brunette interrupted with a faint flash of that ever sly grin, clearly uninterested in pandering to josh’s endless panic as he smoothed down a non-existent crease on his suit jacket and began to back away slowly, “just go and socialise, dance, find your boyfriend and sort your shit out, ‘cause you are _not_ coming back into the apartment tonight if you haven’t at least _spoken_ to him.. just don’t get into too much trouble.”

yeah.

he definitely needed another drink.

~

if getting into trouble, in brendon’s definition, included ending up more than tipsily stumbling around the house in avoidance of the older man, much to the distaste of some of the more sober guests who appeared prone to shooting dirty looks in his direction each time he bumped into them, accidentally peering in on jenna, who was donning angel wings and a tacky halo despite her conflicting reputation, sucking at the neck of some dude only visible by the velvet devil horns peeking out above her head and ending up colliding into the chest of an apparent stranger with an overly-greedy gaze mid-getaway, then yeah.

he had _definitely_ gotten into a little trouble.

“s-sorry, i didn’t-“

cut off from his apologetic ramble only by a quiet hush and the sudden presence of a cold hand beneath his chin and tilting his head upwards, josh was forced to meet the gaze of the vaguely familiar man; plump lips, but looking more rough and chapped than the ones he was so used to kissing, similar dark almond-shaped eyes, but hooded with uncomfortable lust as opposed to the affectionate warmth of the other brunette’s own, and slightly greying stubble covering his chin.

like a much older, much sleazier version of his ex-boss. ex-kind of boyfriend.

his staring, or what was more of an attempt to place the man in the mess of his booze-induced haze of memories, was interrupted when that jarringly low and breathy voice brushed against his lips.

“here, _kitty kitty,_ ” the other man smirked, his teasing remark matched with the swipe of his thumb along the younger’s jawline simultaneously setting his cheeks alight with humiliation and causing his stomach to jolt uneasily; both the unwanted touch and the taunting pet name being distressingly similar to many of his interactions with tyler, yet lacking any ounce the tenderness that he’d stupidly fallen for in the first place. “never thought i’d be lucky enough to see you again, kid..  never got that call i was expecting from you either. you sure it wasn’t something personal?”

and suddenly, it made sense; the image of tyler scrutinisingly examining the once gifted business card with a scrunch of his nose and tossing it aside carelessly running through his mind like a blaring reminder.

god damnit. 

“n-no, i promise.. it wasn’ like that, i just.." josh stuttered out ungracefully, only a slight slur in his startled words as they trailed off into silence with a bite of his lip and his legs beginning to feel weak beneath him. “..sorry but i need t'go.”

" _come on,_ pretty boy," the still nameless, and increasingly forceful, man cooed as he nudged the blue-haired boy backwards with a quiet thud and essentially trapped him against the wall with an arm wrapped around his waist. "s'just a bit of fun."

"i don't.. _stop,_ please."

seemingly unconcerned about the younger's defiant whines, the brunette only leaned in closer to run his wet lips along the column of josh's neck with a self-satisfied hum, cold fingers digging roughly into the skin of his waist and a sickening gush of his hot, booze-tainted breath sweeping across his skin with his next murmur, "you look like the type that spends a lot of time on his knees for older men, especially in this little get-up, so how about it, huh?"

"i-"

"he said stop, so i suggest you take your fucking hands off him _now._ "

that very voice that josh had spent more time than he'd care to admit memorising in his mind and playing on repeat, a low and raspy growl laced with silent fury, cutting off his plea damn near made the blue-haired boy faint on the spot as a whimper of relief slipped from his lips; his gaze instantly darting in the direction of the sound in search of the face he was suddenly so desperate to see again.

perhaps it was the last glass of champagne he'd thrown back sending his head a little fuzzy, or maybe it was simply because the time they'd spent apart had began to blur the image of the older man in his head, but tyler looked so unreasonably attractive that josh could no longer determine the cause of his shaking knees - his loose black muscle tank hung low to reveal peeks of his striking chest tattoos, pouted lips glossy, eyebrows furrowed with irritation and those usually, warm brown eyes now an unusual ruby red shade that only seemed to amplify his inner rage.

and as much as the younger had once hated to admit it, anger really was a damn seductive sight on tyler joseph when it wasn't aimed towards him.

fuck.

what josh wasn't too keen on noting, however, and was wishfully putting down to being nothing more than a hazy illusion due to his excessive champagne consumption, was the pair of all too familiar velvet devil horns nestled into his mess of curls.

matched in the same ruby red shade as his contacts, and the sloppy lipstick mark on the underside of his jaw.

fucking _jenna._

"and _i_ suggest that you zip it and walk away, unless you feel like losing a business partner, joseph," the other brunette hissed with a glare of frustration in tyler's direction; the grip of his fingers loosening, although the younger was sure he could already feel tiny bruises beginning to form in their place, and his eyebrow quirking almost challengingly.

with one of his expected eye-rolls, that josh just about caught sight of as he collapsed back against the wall with a shaky exhale, and a sudden wash of nonchalance painting itself across his pretty face despite the unwavering irked glint in his eyes, tyler retaliated in a simple shutdown of his threat, "oh, i have no worries about that.. this partnership is already over."

"now get away from him, and out of my house."

tearing himself away from the blue-haired boy with a incomprehensible mutter beneath his breath, of which the younger just about caught the word 'worthless' within his distressed daze, the older man stalked off down the dark hallway with a final forceful knock of his shoulder against tyler's own in passing; the faint thud being the final, echoed sound before the two of them were left alone in an unnerving bout of silence.

really, after all that had been said and done, what josh had been expecting was to hear a second pair of footsteps disappear down the hallway and out of earshot - not come closer, padding quietly across the tiled floor until the two of them were face to face for the first time in what felt like forever.

close enough that the blue-haired just about caught onto that overwhelmingly distinct scent of fresh cigarette smoke and pine and vanilla aftershave that sent his head spinning once more.

"tyler-"

"he didn't hurt you, did he?" tyler murmured softly, all of the bitterness that'd practically drowned his tone back on that dreaded morning melting away into nothing but concern as he reached out to gently rest his own hand where the other brunette's had previously been; the pad of his thumb grazing the younger's still burning cheek as his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

and as childish and stubborn as it may have been, given that his inner instincts were screaming at him to collapse forward into the comfort of the older man's arms with a sob, josh couldn't help but to sharply whisper the first words that bit at his tongue as his gaze trailed along the sight of the lipstick stain.

"why d'you even care?"

voice dropping down to a whisper of his own but failing to falter in his warm touches, the brunette retaliated cryptically, "you know exactly why, joshua."

to believe that tyler really did love him back, and that their previous parting words were simply ones spat in the heat of the moment, was something that he could've only dreamed of - something made from fairytales, or just one of those unrealistic rom-coms of abby's that he indulged in far too frequently as of late.

"if something would've happened to you, i-"

"i saw you and jenna," josh blurted out in interruption, his low alcohol tolerance once more washing away any kind of verbal barrier that'd been in place beforehand and his words catching on a choked back whimper that he hadn't even felt building in his throat; a fresh veil of unsuspecting tears blurring his view of the brunette's own troubled expression as he rambled out a fresh spew of verbal vomit. "i don’t know if i’m allowed t'be mad, or hurt.. i mean, i kissed _brendon_ so i don’t know.. guess not.. after everythin' that happened. karma or something, right? but..”

god fucking damn.

fuck his boozed-up brain, and fuck brendon for bringing him here in the first place.

"i think we need to have a long talk.." tyler breathed with a hushed sigh against his lips and another smooth brush of his thumb across the blue-haired boy's face; wiping away a stray tear and reaching around to instead massage his fingers into the faded, baby curls at the nape of josh's neck in that always shiver-inducing way of soothing. "..about _everything_ , but not like this.. not now. when you _aren't_ drunk on god knows how many glasses of champagne. okay?"

with a silent nod of agreement, a sigh of surrender and a barely audible sniffle, the younger decided against waiting a single second longer for the contact he'd been pining for; slumping into the older man's arms with a gentle nuzzle of his nose against tyler's neck - soaking up his comforting scent and damn near purring at the sensation of those fingers stroking through his hair.

it almost felt as though nothing had separated them in the first place.

words muffled against the brunette's skin, josh hummed with a faint smile on his lips, "your costume sucks, by the way."

"oh yeah? well at least i wore a costume, _kitten._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is disappointing with a capital D 
> 
> i'm sorry for the lack of real josh/tyler interaction but i can at least promise that more will be coming next chapter?
> 
> chapter 19 will be all them, and maybe everyone else's favourite little man too.
> 
> ❤️


	19. nineteen.

sure, waking up in a bed bigger than his whole bedroom had been back in his old, shoddy apartment, beneath unnecessarily expensive silken bedsheets and surrounded by the instantly recognisable and undeniably comforting scent of pine and vanilla aftershave and the faintest hint of fresh cigarette smoke was a sensation josh was hardly a stranger to, but finding himself in that exact position after endless mornings of waking to nothing but the echoed sound of brendon’s obnoxiously loud singing and a cold space beside him in the bed was definitely a shock.

a shock filled with relief and pure contentment, of course, but still a shock to say the least, given that some of the last words he could vividly remember the older man saying to him consisted of _'get out of my house and out of my life.'_

really, josh wasn’t even sure anymore whether it was reality or simply an overly convincing reverie contrived from a little too much alcohol and his endlessly hopeless pining for tyler joseph - an inner debate answered only by the feeling of familiarly warm fingers brushing back through his hair in a touch that managed to draw a pleasured purr from the younger’s lips without fail every single time.

he really had no fucking idea how he’d managed to last so long without it.

far from full consciousness but desperate to confirm his suspicions further with a glimpse of that unfairly handsome face that he’d slowly began to lose sight of as of late, josh blinked up at the figure hovering just beside him with only a slight squint at the sudden blinding brightness of the room; the still blurred features of the older man’s concerned expression slowly coming into focus with each sleepy squint.

and if the reappearance of those dark, hooded eyes and fluttering lashes and plump, slightly bitten lips wasn’t enough to confirm his unlikely reality, then that raspy voice laced with a quiet drowsiness of its own breaking through the quiet lull of the bedroom definitely did the trick.

"morning,” tyler hummed quietly in a so obviously softened version of his usual tone, without even a slight falter in the soothing running of his fingers back through messy, faded blue curls.

if he wasn't already lying down, josh decided, then his legs certainly would've given out on him right there and then.

"hi.."

sheepish whisper being barely audible even in the silence and the usual rosy flush induced simply by a look from the older man alone instantly beginning to wash over his cheeks once more in a show of embarrassment, the blue-haired boy cleared his throat quietly and continued on with a teasingly dazed whisper in an attempt to overcome the inelegance of his greeting. " not gonna lie.. i kind of feel like i'm dreaming or something right now."

the way tyler's lips twitched up ever so slightly at the corners in the ghost of a smile was definitely a positive sign, he'd learnt.

"you're not going to charm me that easily, joshua," the brunette retorted instantly, with a return of one of those usual eye-rolls that the younger had grown so used to seeing over the span of their relationship, although one of mild amusement as opposed to the usual annoyance that had sparked them; a coarse thumb softly grazing across josh's temple as he asked, "how's your head feeling?"

awful, was what josh wanted to scream, considering the fact that he couldn't think of a more appropriate word for the combination of confusion and a lingering hangover swirling around in his mind like a fucking tornado.

seriously, fuck brendon for letting him drink again.

"not great, honestly," the younger sighed, nuzzling further into the sheets and instinctively leaning into the gentle touches; the tip of his nose brushing against the older man's hand in a laughably feline way, "feels like i spent the night repeatedly hitting my head against the wall."

"somehow i'm not surprised, given that you just about managed to stumble up the stairs on your own last night," tyler drawled, the vague amusement painted across his face lacing it's way into his words too, and reached out to instead gather two painkillers and the glass of water that were already resting on the bedside table; pressing the white tablets into the other boy's already outstretched hand with a hum, "take these."

and perhaps the near silent whine that slipped from his lips at the sudden loss of those tender touches, and the warmth of tyler's skin against his own, was juvenile but hey.. who could blame him?

he'd been away from the man he was so irrevocably and unreservedly in love with for far too long now for him to even consider not spending every single second together soaking up any tender touch he was willing to give.

obedient as ever under the watchful eye of the older man, josh didn't even give himself the chance to dwell on the sudden disconnect in their contact any longer as he shuffled to sit up against the mountain of pillows behind him with only a brief wince at the sudden heavy throb in the back of his mind; throwing back the tablets with a gulp of water as the two of them fell into a somewhat tense silence once more.

a silence, again, broken only by the sudden prominence of tyler's voice - still husky from sleep but as calm and collected as ever.

"i know this probably isn't the best time to start this, with you being half-asleep and hungover but.. we really need to have that talk, joshua, because i can't stand to sit in this tension for a minute longer," the brunette stated simply with a faint shrug of his shoulders, clearly uninterested in tip-toeing around the subject any longer as he resettled himself just beside the younger's own bundled up legs on the bed, "and we need to get past it if we're going to have any kind of relationship after this."

even the mere hint alone of this not being the end of them completely was more than enough to induce an attentive nod from the blue-haired boy.

"i know."

one hand reaching upwards to run back through his already dishevelled curls, in a way that hitched the hem of his white t-shirt to reveal a slither of tan skin and just a peek of his happy trail that admittedly, and somewhat shamefully, stole josh's attention for just a beat too long, tyler continued on with a tired exhale, "look.. i don't really know where to start with this, or even really what i'm supposed to say when so much that i want to say has built up in my mind over the last couple of weeks, but i.. you have to understand why i reacted the way that i did that morning, josh.. it was.."

"i know, ty.. i get it, _i do,"_ he interrupted, or more so continued on from the older man's own lack of words, with an anxious bite of his lip - the flooding memories of their inevitable crash and burn alone being enough to kickstart a wave of dread, and leaving him unable to stop himself regardless of that burning feeling of the brunette's own gaze following his movements, "i don't blame you for the things you said, and the things that you did 'cause i mean.. i can't imagine anyone reacting any other way to that kind of thing, y'know? it _fucking sucked.._ i was an asshole who hurt you and betrayed your trust. how else were you supposed to react?"

in what appeared to be a sudden, unstoppable spew of his feelings, josh couldn't help but to continue on with his rambled apology; the locking of the brunette's softened stare on his own only fuelling him on further in a beg for forgiveness as he murmured shakily, "i know i've already said this probably a million and one times by now, and it's probably starting to lose it's meaning to you at all but.. please trust me when i say that i've never meant something more in my entire life than when i say i'm sorry. i'm sorry for what i did and everything that happened between us, and even though part of me wants to say that if i could turn back time and not take that stupid proposition from my boss then i would, i can't say that honestly or even attempt to convince myself that i truly believe that, tyler, 'cause without that job i never would've met you."

"joshua-"

"i'm serious" the blue-haired boy confessed in ignorance of the way his voice cracked mid-admission; forcibly gulping as to swallow back the lump slowly crawling up his throat and his shaking fingers tangling themselves in the sheets in distraction, "i regret hurting you and betraying you and ever even having the intention of doing something like that to you in the first place, but.. i'm so stupidly glad that agreeing to it led me to you, whether you hate me now or not."

saying those very words aloud or even contemplating the questionable idea of tyler joseph despising him wasn't his greatest idea, josh was certain, given that his already fragile barrier was obliterated within seconds; the burning feeling of fresh tears pricking at his eyes making itself known before the other man could even open his mouth in response.

_ fuck. _

"i don't hate you, and i don't think i ever could."

it was safe to say that those words of reassurance definitely hadn't been what josh had been expecting to come from the older man's mouth.

the hand that had previously been tangled in his bed hair and looping aimlessly within one particularly long curl switching to instead run down the side of his face in exhaustion, tyler continued on in a quiet rasp of his own, "i was definitely mad at you, more than mad in the heat of the moment but.. it was  _hurt_  more than anything, i think, because it almost felt as if i was reliving the past all over again in a way, but last night.. when i saw you in danger, it just made me realise how pathetic that resentment towards you that i'd been holding onto was.. because you're more important than _any of that,_ joshua, and i never would've forgiven myself if something more serious had happened to you last night."

and apparently, that was all it took to dissolve every last ounce of restraint the blue-haired boy had been clinging onto up until that point - the younger damn near launching himself into the brunette's lap uncaring of the sickening spin of his head at the sudden move; silken sheets bunching up between them and a fresh track of hot tears tracing his cheeks as he clung to any part of tyler joseph in reach.

"i'm so sorry," josh whimpered, choked-up plea caught up on a sob against the older man's lips as he desperately laced his fingers in the material of the white t-shirt with no intention of letting go, " _i-"_

"hey, it's okay, _it's okay.._ " tyler hushed quietly with a gentle bump of his nose against the blue-haired boy's own, as his hands reached up to cup either side of the younger's damp cheeks; thumbs soothingly rubbing circles just beneath his cheekbones and the warmth of his breath brushing across josh's face instantly stilling those panicked breaths.

and if josh thought that he'd been overwhelmingly relieved before, upon the simple confirmation that he wasn't hated by the only man he appeared to need anymore, then he was so _so_ wrong, because nothing compared to the wave of reassurance that damn near drowned him at the brunette's next whispered words; accompanied simply by a tender kiss to the corner of his lips.

"i forgive you, josh."

and really, nothing else mattered.

barely even giving himself the chance to catch his shaken breath, the blue-haired boy was tugging at the material of the older man's t-shirt to pull him into a long-awaited kiss in sync with tyler's hands tilting his head upwards, uncaring of both the uncomfortable position and the low thrumming in the back of his mind as their lips locked together with a wet smack; the combination of black coffee on his tongue and warm fingers trailing along the nape of his neck and the brunette's lips curving up into a smile against his own being more that enough to sway josh on his earlier decision that this may have in fact been just a daydream as opposed to his reality.

because, he figured, nothing in the entire world could feel as heavenly as that.

pulling back just enough to catch up on lost oxygen but refusing to completely disconnect himself from the older man, josh whispered breathlessly against slicked-up lips, "i've missed you so fucking much."

"for the record, i've missed you too," tyler returned with another tender peck to the younger's lips, dropping his hands to hold onto either side of the blue-haired boy's waist instead and tugging him as close as physically possible; a constellation of slow kisses along the column of his neck and across the curve of his jaw accompanying his raspy murmur, "missed having you in bed next to me at night, all warm and sleepy and purring like a kitten, and waking up with you in my arms, knowing you're safe.. missed kissing your neck while we made breakfast, and watching you blush every single time.. and i've definitely missed getting a black coffee every single morning, even if it was a little late now and then."

and that _definitely_ sounded familiar.

"..did you memorise my texts?" he asked teasingly, questioning words trailing off into a hushed laugh as he blinked up at the brunette with wet eyes; lips pulling back into a fond smile for the first time in longer than he could even begin to remember.

eyes rolling predictably in response, the older man peered back down at him with the slightest flush on his own tan cheeks and a matched smile; unable to not instantly mirror the blue-haired boys' love-struck smile as he muttered a playfully against his cheek, "shut up, kid."

and as much as josh would've happily spent the rest of their morning in that exact position, bathing in the contented silence of their reunion, with a warm cheek pressed to the brunette's own and strong hands slipping beneath the confines of his own sweatshirt to trace aimless patterns against the bruising skin of his waist, the singular hazy memory of a certain blonde scattering tyler's neck with sticky lipstick marks reminded him that there was still more to discuss, and more questions to be answered.

voice dropping back down to a whisper, one laced with obvious reluctance as his eyes squeezed shut in attempted avoidance of what he really didn't want to hear, the younger questioned "ty?"

"mhm?"

"..you and jenna, last night, was that-"

"it was a mistake," tyler stressed in interruption, with a regretful sigh of his own filtering from his lips; shifting ever so slightly to press a reassuring kiss into faded blue curls and thumbs continuing to idly graze along the lines of his hipbones as he continued on in explanation, words oozing with guilt and lingering sleepiness, "i wasn't in the greatest mood yesterday, and haven't really been for a while, of course, and she'd picked up on that at work. _everyone_ had. so when she found me alone last night.. she made a move on me, something about trying to 'cheer me up', and i admittedly let it happen."

"i'm not going to lie to you and say that nothing happened between us, because that would be foolish, but i'm being completely honest with you when i say that it meant nothing to me, joshua.. she never really meant anything compared to you."

god damn.

he was so, _so_ in love with tyler joseph.

"i believe you," the blue-haired boy assured with a breath of relief, accompanied by the looping of his arms a little tighter around the older man's neck in a move he would claim to be simply loving, and not at all possessive, "i mean.. i've made my own fair share of mistakes too so.."

really, as much as he wanted to be mad over the whole jenna thing, josh figured that kissing your ex-fling in no way even began to measure up to the amount of juvenile, and what he'd once considered to be unforgivable, mistakes that he'd made himself over the passing months.

clearly disinterested in continuing on with any further conversation of the devil at the front desk though, and increasingly concerned with instead making up for each and every touch that'd been lost over their time apart, the brunette simply trailed the tips of his fingers further along the expanse of josh's back in that shiver-inducing way and cocked a questioning eyebrow in his direction as he asked with a faint smirk, "why were you here last night anyway? not that i don't want you here, but.. how on earth did you end up drunk on champagne and wandering around my house dressed as _a kitten,_ huh?"

instantly ducking his head down with a fresh wave of embarrassment at both the reminder of his drunken state and the ridiculous kitten costume that he'd almost managed to forget about up until that point, the younger buried his face into the crook of the older man's neck with a timid whine; hoping simply that the muffling of his explanation against the warmth of tyler's bare skin would somehow manage to minimise the humiliation of the whole situation.

" _oh god,_ well.. brendon kind of forced me to come, and made me wear the dumb costume," josh began quietly, rambled words hushed where his lips were pressed against the curve of the brunette's collarbone,  "i've uh, kind of.. been living with him for the past couple of weeks since.. _y'know._ there was this thing with my apartment where i'd missed two rent payments in a row and couldn't afford to pay both 'cause i mean.. i lost both of my jobs.. and i ended up getting evicted, and he was sort of my last resort at that point. but he said he was sick of me moping around over you and yeah.. forced me to come here to sort out our problems."

and shit.

the admittance of his lousy situation that had somehow landed him back where the downfall had all began sounded even more shameful to say out loud, as opposed to josh just contemplating his inevitable bad luck in bed late at night.

"you lost your apartment because of me? joshua, i-"

"no, _no.._ it was my fault.." the younger stuttered out in consolation, jerking backwards to instead cup either side of tyler's face in his hands and mimicking the older man's own method of comfort with a soft brush of thumbs against his cheeks; tracing the frown lines just beside the brunette's tired eyes as he continued, "i knew what was going to happen if i didn't go through with the whole article thing, but i guess i just stupidly figured that i'd be able to get the chance to talk it out with you before everything ended up going to complete shit."

"if i would've known-"

shaking his head in dismissal of the oncoming apology once more and shooting tyler the most sincere smile he could manage when his cheeks were still tracked with dried tears, josh insisted, "doesn't matter.. the past is in the past now or whatever that saying is, right?"

and although tyler's faint nod of agreement seemed to be the end of that conversation, the blue-haired boy realised that he probably shouldn't have been as surprised as he was by the older man's next confident words.

"move in with me."

"i.. _what?"_

"move in with me, joshua," the brunette hummed in what was more of an order than a simple suggestion, if the finalised undertone within the huskiness of his voice was anything to go by; one of his hands reaching up to lace their fingers together and a convincing kiss being pressed to the back of his knuckles, "i know it sounds a little crazy because this is still only early days for us really but.. you need somewhere to live, and i have an empty house, and an empty side of the bed that needs filling again."

fuck.

this was seriously happening.

mind seemingly wiped clean of all coherent thoughts and every single fathomable response seeming to burn off of his tongue within seconds as he attempted to process the older man's words, josh only blinked up at him in awe with a murmur of disbelief, "tyler."

"i would offer to buy you your own apartment, but we both know that it wouldn't get any use," tyler reasoned with a shrug, lips tugging back into one of those contented smiles once more and giving the younger's hand another gentle squeeze, "and you were practically living here anyway, so why not?"

deciding to take on tyler's own way of wordless answers for once, the younger's confirmation came simply in the form of him reaching upwards to steal a surprisingly tender kiss; the two of them immediately melting into each other with a simultaneous hum as the tip of the brunette's tongue swiped across his bottom lip, and a pair of tattooed arms snaked themselves tightly around his waist.

"god, i love you so much," the older man muttered against him, voice raspy from breathlessness and as swoon-worthy as ever as he playfully tugged the blue-haired boy's bottom lip between his teeth.

and to say that josh's heart didn't stutter pathetically at the very first utterance of those three words to ever leave tyler joseph's mouth would've been a complete and utter fucking lie - the simple phrase sounding even more heavenly out loud as opposed to in his imagination, and no doubt branding itself into his memories forevermore.

gaze flickering up to meet the brunette's own adoring stare, josh returned sweetly, "i love you too." 

warm hands running calmingly along the faint bumps of his spine and a final peck being pressed onto the tip of the younger boy's nose in causation of pleasured purr, tyler simply murmured  "now get some rest, kitten, and i'll be back to wake you up with breakfast soon."

 ~

what josh had initially been expecting to met with when he woke for a second time that morning had been the sight of a sleepy tyler, perhaps with his shirt conveniently missing for some reason or another, carrying a singular plate of breakfast for them to share like one of those couples in abby's favourite rom-coms who playfully licked leftover syrup from each other's lips, and with a look of lust in his hooded eyes that suggested that the rest of their morning was going to be spent beneath the sheets.

but, as the blue-haired boy had finally forced himself to accept, his and tyler's relationship was far from the idealistic and somewhat cinematic fantasy that he always imagined it to be.

for what he was instead met with as a wake-up call was the hazy sounds of two familiar voices floating through the air of the quiet bedroom; their conversation hushed and indecipherable as his mind attempted to bring him back around to full consciousness.  

one eye peeking open in an attempt to locate the faces of those voices that he adored so greatly, josh decided right there and then that as much as he would've loved for his original fantasy to be their reality?  it still, somehow, wouldn't have compared to the sight he was actually met with - tyler, with a steaming cup of black coffee in one hand, crouched down in the doorway beside a captain america pyjama-clad max, and with the other hand brushing back through his feathered hair as the two of them murmured to each other; the little one clutching a pancake-stacked plate in his hands tightly and listening intently to his father's words.

and damn.

josh was sure that his heart would've melted at that sight alone, had the older man's words not already caused such a thing earlier on in the morning.

an affectionate smile unintentionally drawing on his lips as he watched the two of them silently from where he was still wrapped up in the tyler-scented sheets, the blue-haired boy only felt his smile widen as he caught onto the brunette's next raspily murmured words.

"we need to be quiet, okay, pup? because joshie isn't feeling too good."

with an obedient nod at the request, max was tugging himself away from his father's touch within seconds; the grip of his tiny hands on the plate tightening and his socked feet pattering against the carpet a little too excitably as he scurried over to josh's side of the bed - shiny doe eyes lighting up as his gaze fell upon the younger's own smiling face and that toothy grin making a reappearance.

"joshie!"

"hey, dude," the blue-haired boy returned, unable to stop the quiet chuckle that fell from his lips at the little one's excitable squeal as he reached out to ruffle his messy curls playfully, "whatcha got there?"

pudgy, dimpled cheeks flushing a rosy shade of their own, max held up the plate in display of the syrup and bacon topped pancakes; a sudden wave of pride painting itself across his adorable features as he informed bashfully, "me an' daddy made welcome home breakfast f'you."

_ welcome home. _

not that it was necessarily news, but josh instantly decided that yeah, he was undeniably and undoubtedly in love with not just one, but both of the josephs.

quirking a quizzical eyebrow in max's direction and outstretching one arm to welcome the eager hug that he could already sense coming with his next question, josh hummed quietly, "can i have a thank you cuddle?"

seemingly uncaring of the older man's suggestion of keeping quiet upon the new request, the younger brunette was abandoning the plate on the beside table and jumping onto the blue-haired boy's chest with a squeal before tyler could even consider opening his mouth to scold him; a syrupy-sweet giggle falling from his lips as he nuzzled his blushing face into curls of faded blue hair.

"pup-"

"s'fine," josh assured with a smile, words muffled against the little one's shoulder as he silenced tyler's attempted reprimand with a shake of his head, but still coming out somewhat steadily despite the intense fluttering of his heart against his chest; a fleeting kiss being pressed to max's temple as he shuffled to sit up against the pillows with the little one still in his lap.

mug of coffee in hand and an amused smile twitching at the corners of his lips once more, the brunette strolled across the room to settle beside the two of them in bed with a hum; legs slipping beneath the sheets to nudge against the younger's own and trailing a fresh constellation of sweet kisses against the exposed skin of his neck as he murmured, "i don't think i'm the only one who missed you."

cheeks instantly flaring their usual rosy shade and damn near burning hotter than the mug of black coffee still wrapped up in the grasp of the older man's palms at the sickeningly sweet, but admittedly endearing suggestion, josh replied only with a contented purr at the tender touches.

it was heavenly.

only when a tiny hand wiggled a stolen strip of bacon in front of his face did the blue-haired boy snap out of his infatuated daze; reaching forward to teasingly bite at it just as it was snatched away with another high pitched squeal - max munching on the bacon with a taunting poke of his tongue between his lips.

"i don't want it, you know what? that bacon is bad, that's gross," josh informed with a mockingly disgusted scrunch of his nose, free hand reaching out to poke the little one's pudgy stomach playfully.

tiny pixie nose mirroring josh's own in the way it scrunched up in distaste of the blue-haired boy's comment, max's pouted adorably, "it's not bad."

"yeah, it's disgusting."

and with a flash of his ever-amused smirk, that the younger just about caught sight of out of the corner of his eye, and one of those enamoured eye-rolls obvious in the tone of his voice, tyler murmured simply against the rim of his mug, "apparently i have two children now.. _perfect."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My week has been a little lousy so this chapter is sort of rushed because i wanted to get an update out before i go away for a few days, but i hope you all like it anyway!
> 
> Love you ❤️


	20. twenty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was NOT worth the longer wait, I'm sorry oops.
> 
> !! But please read the end note !!

if someone would’ve told josh, way back when on the date of his first meeting ever with the unfairly attractive asshole boss of that multi-million record label who now claimed the title of his boyfriend, that only a couple of months down the line the two of them would be more domesticated than ever and moving into his damn mansion of a home together? then, josh was sure of it, he would’ve laughed in their faces and told them to fuck off completely.

because, as he’d told himself before, tyler joseph was not the kind of person who was going to turn up at his apartment late one night with a bunch of blooming red roses in hand, rambling that it had been josh that he'd wanted all along and then wooing him into bed with a tender kiss to the underside of his jaw. tyler joseph was not the kind of person who was going to chase after him in street, pick josh up, spin him around and kiss him breathless in the pouring rain as soaked hair stuck to their faces and their bodies began to shiver. tyler joseph was not the kind of person who was going to press their foreheads together, and ghost his lips across every inch of josh's face as he murmured sweet nothings against his skin and confessed to falling in love with the blue-haired boy upon first sight. 

tyler joseph was not a romantic, committed, settle-down with a family type of guy.

or at least, josh had _thought_ that he wasn’t, although that fact was slowly blurring into more and more of a fictional presumption with each day spent planning and haphazardly attempting to organise their future together as the older man indulged in a few of those once unforeseeable acts of tenderness. 

it still didn’t seem even the slightest bit real that he was, in fact, moving in with tyler joseph.

it hadn’t felt real on that very morning in which it had been decided, as the three of them lay in bed together; max still wrapped up in his arms, head resting on his shoulder and his feathered hair tickling the younger’s neck as the little one slowly drifted back to sleep, and tyler’s chin resting on the other shoulder, trailing his lips lazily across the blue-haired boy’s neck as he sleepily murmured plans of redecorating and hiring a new interior designer.

it hadn’t felt real as he and brendon sat side-by-side in the guest room of the other brunette’s apartment that’d been his home for the past couple of weeks, attempting to force endless piles of clothes back into suitcases and struggling to neatly bubblewrap his few valuable belongings as brendon smugly bragged about how he was ‘practically cupid’ and had known right from the beginning that the two of them would end up exactly where they were right now.

it hadn’t even felt real when tyler had taken both josh and the youngest joseph out for a celebratory meal that sunday evening, where he and max had shared an overly expensive chocolate sundae for dessert beneath his father’s amused gaze, and the older man had dropped down onto one knee with a black, velvet box in hand; that sly smirk tugging at his lips at the sight of the blue-haired boy essentially draining of all colour just before he flipped the box open to reveal a shiny new house key.

although it had felt a little more real when he had swatted at tyler’s upper arm scoldingly with a pout, cheeks flushing the complete opposite colour to the point in which they damn near matched the brunette’s glass of red wine and that breathy laugh brushing against the younger’s neck sending a shiver of something between anticipation and pure adoration down his spine.

but still, somehow, even as he climbed the steps of the porch with his key in hand and attempted to clumsily navigate his way around the flurry of workers who were silently rushing around him like well-organised ants in the foyer, the whole thing still felt like more of a convincing reverie built up in the back of his mind upon dream after dream about the older man, as opposed to actually being his somewhat unbelievable and surprisingly lucky reality.

the only possible explanation for all of this, josh decided, was that perhaps the universe was finally finding a way to repay him for the all too frequent and seemingly targeted bad luck that he'd experienced throughout the whole of his adult life.

thank god.  

“..ty?” josh called out uncertainly into the hushed air of the house, with only a slight flush of his cheeks at the lingering glance the interruption earned him from another heel-clad and clipboard holding blonde that looked suspiciously similar to the devil from the front desk; hesitantly peering into the kitchen, revealed to be empty, before wandering down the hallway instead towards the office door that was crooked open ever so slightly.

"ty-"

gaze flashing across josh's face briefly, much like their very first meeting, tyler simply raised the index finger of his free hand in the younger's direction in a signal of silence and turned away to comb through a stack of sheets scattered across his desk; phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear as he hummed in response to the muffled voice on the speaker.

maybe if this would've happened a few months ago, back when tyler joseph was nothing but an intimidating big-shot millionaire with zero tolerance for anything other than pure submission and a cold glare in his eyes, then the blue-haired boy would've wordlessly taken his seat and awaited the older man's attention with an anxious tug of his fingers.

and while the brunette may still have been intriguing, and as undeniably attractive as their first meeting had let on? he was a lot less intimidating nowadays.

even if he did still hold the ability to turn josh into a blushing and stuttering mess with a flash of that smirk, or even a low whisper in his ear alone.

padding quietly across the floor as to not alert the older man to his approaching presence, josh resisted the urge to test his boyfriend with a move a little more risky and instead settled for looping his arms around tyler's waist from behind with a nuzzle of his nose against the nape of his neck - unable to stop his own lips from twitching up into a satisfied smile at the way the brunette instantly relaxed into his hold.

“no, i won’t be back in the office until thursday.. just reschedule for next week, on monday,” tyler ordered, voice laced with it's usual authoritative rasp in the way that used to make the blue-haired boy shrink back into his seat without fail, though in a stark contrast to his affectionate actions - free hand reaching down to intertwine with one of josh's own and tugging them upwards to press a greeting kiss to the back of his knuckles. a low hum sounding from his lips at the kiss the younger returned to the back of his neck, the brunette instructed simply, “mhm.. look, i need to go but make the appointment with jenna and tell mark to have the applications on my desk by wednesday night.”

admittedly, josh felt his stomach twist sickeningly at the singular mention of the very name of which he no longer wished to speak, and the vaguely hazy memory of _them_ on that friday night that sparked in the back of his mind, but it was surprisingly difficult to remain discouraged when the older man's thumb was soothingly grazing the back of his hand in _that way._

thumb stilling in it's movements briefly and a final, muffled goodbye sounding through the speaker of his phone, tyler dropped the device back onto the stack of messy sheets with a sigh and spun around in the younger boy's hold; leaning back against the desk and tugging josh forwards gently to settle just between his legs.

"joshua."

“applications?” josh questioned instantly in lieu of his own greeting, eyebrows furrowing with confusion at what the older man's earlier conversation had been about and his arms wrapping a little tighter around tyler's waist in a move he would claim to be anything _but_ jealous of the suspicion in the back of his mind.

“personal assistant job applications,” the brunette confirmed, a slight waver of concern underlying in his tone as he tilted his head faintly in a quiet and not so subtle examination of the blue-haired boy's own expression at his next words, “i’ve got a whole round of interviews scheduled for next week.”

and to say that the confession didn't send a disheartening pang through his chest would've been a complete and utter lie.

“but..”

“baby,” the older man cooed, and reached his hand out to cup the side of josh's cheek that was already burning wildly in response to the new pet name that managed to leave his legs feeling like jelly every damn time; thumb swiping soothingly across the younger's cheekbone and holding their gazes on each other as he explained, “you know that i loved having you as my assistant, i really did, but you and i both also know that it isn’t the job you want to be doing for the rest of your life. do you remember what you said to me the very first time we met?”

as much as josh wished he could say that he remembered every single second of their first ever interaction with complete clarity, admittedly he could only remember a handful of details vividly - like the first glance he ever caught of those hooded eyes, even if they were filled with annoyance that day, or the first words that he heard spoken in that very voice, raspy as ever and damn near drowning in intimidation.

or perhaps even just how much of an asshole his boyfriend had been that day.

just the simple shake of his head was enough to urge the brunette to continue.

“you told me that the office job wasn’t what you wanted at all, and that you were really just looking for a way into the music industry. although some of what you said to me that day was a lie.. i know that part was the complete truth,” tyler informed, crooking his eyebrow as if to challenge the younger to even attempt to deny that, before tapping josh's thigh with his free hand and signalling towards the door. “come on, i need to show you something.”

hands linked together loosely and his heart thumping just a beat or so too fast with something between anticipation and puzzlement, the blue-haired boy barely even had the chance to question the other man's vague words before he was being led out of the office and up the nearest set of winding stairs; passing by what felt like endless rooms filled with renovators as they walked a hallway josh had never been down before.

low and husky, telling of the way his lips were tugging up into a contented smile, tyler's voice only broke the quiet lull between the two of them and snapped the younger back out of his thoughts when he asked, “you’re a drummer, right?”

really, it wasn't a question that needed answering, given the amount of times the brunette had scolded him within the office for absentmindedly drumming his hands either against his thighs or the surface of his desk.

“i mean, kind of? i used to play a lot when i was back home but there wasn’t really enough room in my apartment for me to have a whole drum kit,” josh shrugged in response, unsure of the question's relevance as he trailed off with a faint bite of his lip and peered up at the brunette quizzically, “why?"

and as always, given that he seemed to be a fan of wordless answers, the older man's reply came simply in the form of him twisting the gold handle to the white door at the end of the hallway and revealing it's hidden contents; the younger resisting the urge to gape wordlessly at the set-up - the room being similar to tyler's work office in terms of it's minimalism, except in a much warmer tone of red and blacks, lit up by dimmed low-lights, and housing a full blown home studio, with one end being occupied by an assembly of overly expensive computers, control panels, amps and keyboards while the other end proudly displayed a range of instruments hung upon the wall, with a shiny new drum kit positioned in the centre of them all.

to put it simply, it was heaven - both to josh's 18 year old and current self.

"i'd been meaning to finish the renovations in here for a while now, and i couldn't think of a better time to do it," tyler announced as he leant against the doorframe in admiration of the room himself, and in a way that almost seemed to answer the unspoken question still lingering on the blue-haired boy's lips as his gaze drew itself to the drum-kit like a damn magnet, "because i want you to start drumming again, joshua.”

and that was definitely unexpected.

"what, are we starting a band now or something?" the younger snorted in amusement, the teasing idea being a somewhat whimsical one, as he peered up at his boyfriend with a grin.

"i'm not sure how well that'd work out, kitten," the brunette hummed almost contemplatively with another brief flash of that ever charming smirk; one hand reaching out to brush back through faded blue curls in elicitation of an undeniably fitting purr as he laughed breathily, "what kind of band has only a drummer and a pianist?

eyebrows knitting together in brief bewilderment, but remaining unable to not continually mirror to upwards tug of the older man's own lips as he instinctively leaned a little closer into the soothing touches, josh inquired in a quiet murmur, "you play the piano?"

"why else do you think there's a grand piano in the lounge?" tyler challenged, head tilting in the other boy's direction inquisitively and his own entertained smirk only seeming to grow in response to the presumably embarrassed flush beginning to faintly bite at the younger's cheeks once more; his hand slipping down to instead dip beneath josh's chin and angle his diverted gaze upwards.

"i don't know.. for show, maybe?" the blue-haired boy shrugged bashfully, and attempted to ignore the slight inner swoon that washed over him at the glint of pure adoration in those hooded eyes that were staring him down, as he added with a dismissive scoff, "that's the kind of thing rich people do, dude."

and perhaps it shouldn't have been appealing to him as it was, given that a piano wouldn't necessarily be classed as the hottest instrument to play and probably wouldn't have an audience of teenage girls swooning like a guitar solo would, but for some reason the idea alone of his boyfriend seated at the piano that cost more than josh could even comprehend and sweeping his fingers along the keys like a practiced professional had his knees feeling weaker than he'd wish to admit.

god fucking damn tyler joseph.

“i’m still confused though."

"this isn't anything permanent just yet, more of a trial maybe, but i have a handful of artists under the label that are solo, and usually when they go into the studio to record singles and albums, we hire and call in different people to help record the drum tracks or we create them through production software," the brunette informed, looping their fingers together once more as he urged josh to step further into the newly built studio; a level of smugness, and just a hint of pride, seeping its way into his tone as he disclosed his own proposition. "but i figured, why keep hiring one off's when i've got a drummer right here?"

"if you're fucking with me right now-"

"language," tyler interrupted with a gentle tsk of scolding, despite the smile that remained painted across his lips as he settled back into one of the office chairs and patted his thigh in a signal for the younger boy to join him; strong hands grasping either side of his boyfriend's waist the second he was within reaching distance and pulling him down onto his lap with his next sincere murmur, "and no, joshua, i'm not. i do think this'll be a good opportunity for you in terms of starting off in the music industry, and it definitely makes my life a lot easier too."

and really, josh decided, a simple verbal 'thank-you' wouldn't suffice.

a singular heartbeat being the only separation the blue-haired boy was willing to allow, his hands were clutching either side of the older man's face and tugging him upwards into a surprisingly soft kiss before anything more could be said; noses bumping gently upon impact and josh's tongue brushing slowly across his boyfriend's bottom lip in search of that lingering taste of sweet honey - the faint hint of intertwined fresh smoke, as always, sending a shiver down his spine.

he was so, _so_  ridiculously in love.

hesitantly drawing backwards with another series of tender pecks to those reddened lips, yet refusing to lose their proximity completely by snaking his arms around the brunette's neck, josh rested his forehead against tyler's own with a smile; his sweet, and still somewhat stunned words, muffled against his boyfriend's cheek, "i don't deserve you."

a claim disputed only by the kiss tyler returned to the underside of his jaw; lips twisting up into a satisifed smile against his skin.

"i'm kind of gonna miss being in the office every day though," the blue-haired boy sighed, the dejection for their newfound separation lacing it's way into his tone in perfect sync with the childlike pout drawing on his lips, as he grazed his fingers against the back of the older man's neck, "getting to see you in those suits, bringing you your black coffee every morning, seeing you shout at people.. which is unfairly attractive, by the way.. your eyes get all dark and you get this vein on the side of your neck-"

"you do realise that we live together now, right, kitten? now, you'll get to see me in _and_ out of those suits every day, and i wouldn't be opposed to still getting my black coffee every morning," tyler countered coolly, although his teasing smirk was evident in the playful lilt of his tone as he leaned in even closer; silky, still slicked lips just brushing the younger's ear, breath hot against his skin and voice husky as ever as he murmured, "and i also have absolutely no objections to you visiting my office whenever you please.. especially because i never did get the chance to fuck you over my desk."

and it was almost as if tyler had read his mind, every single damn time he'd had that obscene fantasy.

cheeks instantly flushing with something he couldn't quite distinguish between embarrassment and arousal, a shade so profound that it was more than visible even beneath the dimmed lighting above them, at both the suggestive purr low in his ear and the sudden reoccurring image that flashed through his mind of being bent over tyler joseph's desk and fucked breathless as those same pet names were growled in his ear, josh barely even had the chance to attempt to hide himself before his boyfriend's words were trailing off into a breathy laugh against his neck.

"you're far too easy to tease, baby."

a mockingly exasperated groan falling from his lips and his head instantly ducting down to bury itself into the comfort of the crook of the older man's neck, the distinctly swoon-worthy scent of pine and vanilla aftershave surrounding him serving only to flutter his heart further, josh merely huffed shyly, "shut up, old man."    

"that's what they're going to call me in the media, no doubt, when they find out that my boyfriend is barely in his twenties," the brunette sighed in response to the teasing nickname, though it was more of a sigh of contentment as opposed to one of frustration, which the younger had assumed it would've been - tyler's seemingly prior aversion to the press being a sensitive subject for both of them given the circumstances.

of course, staying completely out of the sight, and out of the firing line, of the media would now be a near impossible task for the two of them and their relationship, given both the loss of their 'personal assistant' alibi and the fact that pete was well aware of their situation and would presumably have no problem with spilling the news, but the older man's reaction was still from from expected.

"you don't mind it if things about us get out there? it's just.. you've always been so private and-"

with a gentle brush of his thumbs against the slivers of exposed skin peeking out just beneath josh's t-shirt, and a loving kiss to his temple, tyler reckoned simply;

"i'm completely fine with it, kitten, and i'd even scream it from the rooftops if i could.. because _i am in love with you,_ joshua william dun, and i want everyone in this damn world to know that you're mine." 

_yeah._

josh could definitely get used to living like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: I'm super sorry the wait for this was longer than usual, but not having my laptop with me for half of the week and new stranger things are not a good combination for getting things done.
> 
> Second: I'm also super sorry if this seems like an awful ending? An abrupt ending? Writing endings is the worst thing out there. I'm not sure how I even feel about it, and I know some people would've liked the story to go on a little longer but I didn't want this to turn into a Wildflower situation where I keep writing and writing in the original fic and it drains me to finish it with a complete ending.
> 
> SO
> 
> For people who are interested in reading more of this MDM AU, I have two options that I'm considering:
> 
> 1) Writing a sequel - this is the less likely of the two, given that sequels tend to never be as good as the original and can sometimes ruin the original story? But this one is still up for debate, because I do have some vague plot ideas if I were to do it.
> 
> 2) Start a mini-series, based in this MDM AU, where I write one-shots and mini fics about the two of them (three including Max) - this would include both my ideas, and I would also be willing to take prompts if there was anything you wanted to see!
> 
> If you do want to see either of these, just shout at me in the comments because I'll most likely take up which ever one is requested most (if people even want me to write more, that is).
> 
> And finally, thank you so so so much to everyone who has read/commented/kudos/bookmarked this fic and been along on this journey with me - I love and appreciate you all more than you understand, and I can't wait to carry on writing more of them for you!  
>  ❤️


	21. update.

Just an update for anyone who still receives e-mail updates for this fic, or even for any possible new readers who are just now finishing reading: 

Part 1/2 of the first one shot is now posted as Part 2 of the Million Dollar Man series! Hope you enjoy it ❤️


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